This Is the Bear and the Scary Night (This Is the Bear) - Hardcover

Sarah Hayes is the author of many books for children, including two more stories about the boy and his bear: This Is the Bear and the Picnic Lunch and This Is the Bear and the Bad Little Girl as well as Mary, Mary, all illustrated by Helen Craig; The Grumpalump; Happy Christmas, Gemma (shortlisted for the Smarties Book Prize); and Eat Up, Gemma. Sarah Hayes is married with three children and lives in Thame, Oxfordshire. Helen Craig is a widely acclaimed illustrator of books for children, whose work includes The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse (shortlisted for the Smarties Book Prize); Rosie's Visitors and the hugely popular stories about Angelina Ballerina now on TV.

PreSchool-K-- Modeled on the rhythm (but not the cumulative rhyme) of ``This is the house that Jack built,'' Hayes's tale tells of the adventures of a toy bear who is carelessly left by his owner in the park and, after a series of harrowing encounters, is rescued by a kindly trombonist. All of the action takes place in Craig's pictures as the endearing bear converses with the moon, which looks on in horror as the small toy is carried off by an owl and dropped in a pond before being reunited with his boy. The spare story has perfect sequencing, with just the right amount of suspense for preschoolers, while dialogue balloons give just the right touch of reassurance and humor. Young listeners will wait with bated breath to see if this bear's scary night meets with a happy ending.
- Trev Jones, School Library Journal
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.