







Parents' Choice Awards : Books : Picture Books Very Hairy Bear Fall 2007 Picture Books Ages: 3 - 7 yrs. Author: Alice Schertle Illustrator: Matt Phelan Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books ISBN: 978-0-15-216568-0 Hardcover Price: $16.00 Review: In the woods lives a "boulder-big bear with shaggy, raggy, brownbear hair everywhere . . .except on his no-hair nose." So begins our introduction to a year in the life of a very hirsute bear in Alice Schertle’s new picture book. Bears don’t mind plunging themselves into chilly streams in search of fish, or even launching headfirst into hollow bee trees in search of honey - their fur keeps them well protected. But when hibernation season looms and the temperature drops, there is something they do mind - a frostbitten no-hair nose. Nature-loving kids will enjoy following the brown bear throughout the year, and will learn the very simple way bears keep their noses warm during the long winter months. Matt Phelan’s pastel and pencil illustrations capture the bear’s world in soft, simple strokes (the bear standing in a snowstorm is especially striking). Although the bear is cuddly-looking, this book definitely emphasizes the fact that he is also wild creature. A nice choice for classrooms and libraries, as well as home reading. In the woods lives a "boulder-big bear with shaggy, raggy, brownbear hair. . .except on his no-hair nose." So begins our introduction to a year in the life of a very hirsute bear in Alice Schertle’s new picture book. Bears don’t mind plunging themselves into chilly streams in search of fish, or even launching headfirst into hollow bee trees in search of honey - their fur keeps them well protected. But when hibernation season looms and the temperature drops, there is something they do mind - a frostbitten no-hair nose. Nature-loving kids will enjoy following the brown bear throughout the year, and will learn the very simple way bears keep their noses warm during the long winter months. Matt Phelan’s pastel and pencil illustrations capture the bear’s world in soft, simple strokes (the bear standing in a snowstorm is especially striking). Although the bear is cuddly-looking, this book definitely emphasizes the fact that he is also wild creature. A nice choice for classrooms and libraries, as well as home reading. Zarina Mullan Plath ©2007 Parents' Choice Zarina Mullan Plath has undergraduate degrees in both biology and English. Her interests include cookbooks/culinary history, South Asian literature (especially in regards to South Asians in America), and, of course, children's literature. Her poetry is included in the anthology Sweeping Beauty (U. of Iowa Press, 2005). Zarina lives in Central Illinois with her husband, two children, and assorted pets.

Look for this product at: Harcourt Children's Books http://www.harcourtbooks.com Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0152165681/parentschoice-20