Bear About Town (A Barefoot Board Book) [Board book]

Stella Blackstone (Author), Debbie Harter (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 2 and up | Series: A Barefoot Board Book

With large type, easy-to-remember rhyming text and bold artwork, this bright and busy picture book offers an excellent way of introducing the days of the week and basic local geography. A town map at the end of the story shows where bear has been and features clearly labeled street and place names.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-A bear walks through town and sees different things or visits different places each day of the week, from the bakery on Monday to a movie on Wednesday to the playground on Sunday. There is not much of a story, but the book is attractive, with large objects to identify, and preschoolers will enjoy pointing out different sights. The illustrations are colorful, the bears that fill the busy scenes are appealing, and there is plenty for young readers to pore over.
Christine A. Moesch, Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, NY
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"The book is attractive, with large objects to identify, and preschoolers will enjoy pointing out different sights. The illustrations are colorful, the bears that fill the busy scenes are appealing, and there is plenty for young readers to pour over." --School Library Journal

"The illustrations are what may initially attract a young child to this book. The illustrations have bright colors and imaginative drawings. [S]tudents will be captivated with the bear on the cover and will notice little details of what he carries in his arms. The text is simple and predictive, using the days of the week as the focal point.... At the very end of the book is an illustration of the entire town and Bear's house. The children may want to spend time finding the places Bear had visited on the map. Many direction words can be used while exploring the town. Bear About Town is highly recommended for anyone, young and old." --Lornette Quarterly Review

"The illustrations are what may initially attract a young child to this book. The illustrations have bright colors and imaginative drawings. [S]tudents will be captivated with the bear on the cover and will notice little details of what he carries in his arms. The text is simple and predictive, using the days of the week as the focal point.... At the very end of the book is an illustration of the entire town and Bear's house. The children may want to spend time finding the places Bear had visited on the map. Many direction words can be used while exploring the town. Bear About Town is highly recommended for anyone, young and old." --Lornette Quarterly Review

"The illustrations are what may initially attract a young child to this book. The illustrations have bright colors and imaginative drawings. [S]tudents will be captivated with the bear on the cover and will notice little details of what he carries in his arms. The text is simple and predictive, using the days of the week as the focal point.... At the very end of the book is an illustration of the entire town and Bear's house. The children may want to spend time finding the places Bear had visited on the map. Many direction words can be used while exploring the town. Bear About Town is highly recommended for anyone, young and old." --Lornette Quarterly Review

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 2 and up
  
• Board book: 24 pages
• Publisher: Barefoot Books (March 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841483737
• ISBN-13: 978-1841483733
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 6.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #688,810 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stella Blackstone has written many bestselling titles for Barefoot Books, including the popular Bear and Cleo series, An Island in the Sun, Secret Seahorse and Who Are You, Baby Kangaroo? Stella lives with her family in Somerset.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun, imaginative, holds interest for an adult reader, July 27, 2001

By 

Katya Reimann (Saint Paul, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bear about Town (Bear Series) (Hardcover)

The primary charm of this book is in the illustrations. The text is basic--this is after all a book that is accessible to pre-literate children--but there is enough in the illustrations that an adult reader doesn't have to slog through the same (increasingly dreary) story every time he or she reads it aloud to a child. One can go through pointing out every appearance of the dog, or of the little birds, or of the bees--or whatever.

Children can gradually pick up on different repeated elements or images. For example, on "Friday" the bear goes to the toystore, and for sale there is a bucket that appears on subsequent pages. The text never states that that bucket has been purchased, but that is the inference that can be drawn. The bucket (purple with black spots) is half-hidden in the first picture where it makes an appearance--sly visual details like this encourage children to hunt for objects rather than having it all simplistically laid out for them so they see it the first time through. Older children can enjoy retracing Bear's daily routes on the map of Bear's town that makes up the last page of the book.

As a parent of small children, I can attest that it is quite difficult to find books with the right balance of pictures, text, and substance--it is annoying to snuggle down with your children with a book that is too short, and bookreading simply doesn't work if you try it with a book that doesn't, for whatever reason, hold a child's attention. With its bright colors and amusing images, this book works for the "very young," yet provides enough content to spare an older reader the worst horrors of gruesome repetition.

I'd recommend this book and others in this series (in board book form) as a gift for new parents. It's the kind of story toddlers can "grow into" as they gain language skills.

It may sound a little strong to say so, but I'd describe this book as a minor children's classic.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing and Beautiful, July 8, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bear About Town (A Barefoot Board Book) (Board book)

Bear About Town is a refreshing book which is well written and beautifully illustrated. The words are simple enough for your toddler to gradually learn by heart. The map of bear's town is the best part, a great starting point for curious questions and conversation. We trace bear's path and figure out how to get to different places in bear's town. The colors are bright and cheerful, and the mood is just right for reading together. My child is almost 3, and this has been a favorite since before age 2.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The map at the end makes it worth it!!, November 10, 2008

By 

3 polkadots (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bear About Town (A Barefoot Board Book) (Board book)

I agree with another reviewer that a few of the bear's destinations were poorly chosen in this book. Two of them, the movie theater and gym, are not relevant in my toddler's life. A grocery store, school, restaurant, library, etc. perhaps would have been more appropriate. However, one key aspect of the book trumps the weaker ones, making this book a must-have: the map at the end. This unusual picture book feature really excites my almost 2-year-old. We trace over the streets, visiting each stop in town with his finger over and over. What a fantastic way to introduce directional and spatial concepts to a toddler! Although imperfect, this book really is a valuable addition to our collection.