Big Bear Ball [Library Binding]

Joanne Ryder (Author), Steven Kellogg (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 28, 2002 | Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Welcome friends,
welcome all,
welcome to the
Big Bear Ball!

Deep in the forest, under a full moon and starry sky, bears sway and stomp to the big bear beat. Wake the moles and rouse the foxes! Even a boisterous gator goes for a spin. Who can resist joining in the jump-jiving, splish-splashing midnight fun?

Joanne Ryder's toe-tapping verse and Steven Kellogg's jubilant illustrations will set feet moving, fingers snapping, arms swinging, and bodies jumping. Don't waste a second -- leave your two left feet at the shore and come dance until the break of day!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As Ryder's (Each Living Thing) rollicking rhythm makes clear, it's hoe-down time in the forest, and troupes of gussied-up bears arrive by hot-air balloon to cavort and caper by the light of the full moon. The bears believe everyone needs to boogie on the forest floor and atop the tree trunks: Now thump those stumps and wake the moles, proclaims the fiddling bear who serves as both the dance caller and narrator. Let's rouse the foxes from their holes. The poor foxes wave a flag of surrender, and moles are clearly not amused (Kindly do not disturb, reads a sign on the door), but on the next spread they, too, are cutting a rug. A few pages later, a huge gator also joins in, transforming the festivities into a pool party. With the blue hues of moonlight predominating, Kellogg covers every inch of the spreads with layers of translucent watercolor. He captures the bears' amiable plumpness and the unfettered high spirits of all the partygoers. Ryder's square-dance cadences will reward listeners of any age willing to assume a jaunty country-western twang. Ages 3-6.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

reSchool-Grade 2-This team has outdone itself. There is something to delight the eye on every page of this ball of fun. The story starts out with a beautiful moonlit picnic, guests arriving in boldly colored hot-air balloons, and turns into a rip-roaring blast of a party. Brown bears, polar bears, baby bears, and pandas are feasting on huge berries as they start to dance. The pages burst with vibrant reds and oranges for sunsets and every color in the rainbow appears in the animals' dresses, pants and shirts, ties, hats, and vests-from polka dots to stripes. Horns and fiddles wake up foxes and moles, and then frogs with banjos and gators, too. The rhythmic rhyme, in large type, is strategically placed so as to keep children's attention on the exuberant and fun-loving action that continues to build, and peaks with the "splish-splash song" when everybody-gators, frogs, moles, and the bears-are in the water dancing. Just before sunrise everyone slowly dances off as the balloons float away until the next full moon and "Big Bear Ball." An absolute must for every library.
Wanda Meyers-Hines, Ridgecrest Elementary School, Huntsville, AL
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Library Binding: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1 edition (May 28, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060279567
• ISBN-13: 978-0060279561
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 9.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,482,015 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Have a Bear of a Good Time....., August 9, 2002

By 

Roz Levine - See all my reviews

This review is from: Big Bear Ball (Hardcover)

The sun sets, the moon rises, and here come the bears, arriving on foot through the forest and in brightly colored hot air balloons. "A broad-beamed caller/howdys all:/Welcome, friends,/to our Big Bear Ball." The music plays, the bears begin to dance, and a rip-roarin'good time is had by all. "Small bears sway/and slap your paws./Tall bears stomp/and pop your jaws.// Two paws up,/waving high./Catch some stars/and scratch the sky." And as the celebration moves through the forest, moles and foxes are awakened and join in, frogs jump up and sing along, and even an old alligator joins all the fun.....Joanne Ryder's engaging text begs to be read aloud, is filled with rhythm, rhyme, energy and motion, and complemented by Steven Kellogg's bold, vibrant and expressive artwork. Eye-popping illustrations dazzle with bright colors, marvelous facial expressions, and woodland detail that is sure to captivate little ones as they linger before turning the page. Together word and art create an entertaining and joyous, finger-snapping, toe-tapping romp. Perfect for preschoolers, Big Bear Ball is a winner, and a picture book kids will want to read again and again. "Go lightly, sprightly,/on your way./May you dance/with the music/as we welcome the day. // Farewell one!/Farewell all!/See you next full moon/at our Big Bear Ball."

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must For Researchers, May 17, 2007

By 

Daniel L. Wheeler "lookabook" (Utah) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nansemond County (Virginia publick claims)

As Continental forces and Virginia militia units were engaged in winning independence, American quartermasters and provisioners struggled to provide these units with all the necessities of life, from meals and guns to meat, fodder for horses, the horses themselves, firewood, and every other type of material. Much of this was requisitioned from the civilian population and certificates were issued payable in either continental or state funds, depending on the units supplied, upon presentation to court authorities. Thousands of these certificates issued to Virginians were duly entered by the courts, and they provide a fascinating insight into the period of the Revolution. These "Publick" Claims booklets contain interesting and useful information about the contributions of ordinary people to the Revolutionary War. They provide some details of people's service in the militia or as guards for prisoners of war; they indicate where some bodies of troops were at particular times; and they identify providers of horses, wagons, cattle, grain, or other supplies. Much of the information in these booklets cannot be found anywhere else, which makes the surviving records particularly valuable. Also remarkable is the fact that records survived from virtually every county in the state at that time with the exception of the newly formed Kentucky counties. This makes the collection even more valuable in covering areas which heretofore in this time period have suffered from a lack of personal data. The "Virginia Publick Claims" are published by counties. In addition to a faithful transcription by Janice Luck Abercrombie and the late Richard Slatten, a complete index is provided for each county booklet. This series is an extremely important genealogical tool for searchers in Revolutionary-era materials.