Customer Reviews

Snow Bear

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My 3 year-old nephew loved this book so much that I've bought copies from this series for each of my other nephews and nieces (I have 13 ages 5 and under!). These are beautiful books with sweet stories and wonderful pictures. The entire series is adorable! Definitely recommend.

This is a beautiful book with "fuzzy" highlights. The paintings and colors are lovely on their own and the flocking adds a very pretty depth. The flocking is very well done indeed. It is really too bad that the story, what little story there is, lacks any poetry. Children will love the visual and tactile experience but buy something else also for the words.

What does it take for a book to be successful with children? Piers Harper offers soft fuzzy animals (literally a flocked touch on various animal parts of various animals), friendly neighbors, an adorable little bear, a gentle, caring mother, and an obvious lesson about minding what your parents say. Thus we have "Snow Bear," what has long been a favorite of this PK3-8th librarian.

Snow Bear ventures out into the world only after his mother gives permission, ending their long winter inside their cave (and his birth). She admonishes him: Stay in my sight. As children are wont to do, he becomes intoxicated with play and strays away, first following one new sight after the other.

Even after he realizes he is lost, he finds a reindeer (I think it is one, well, the story says so), who takes him out of the forest. He meets a little girl who feeds him then takes him to his mother, overjoyed to be reunited with her young son.

So it ends happily.

However, one reviewer takes to task the disconnect between illustration and text. Words say Snow Bear is worried about being lost. In every illustration he is smiling and downright joyous. Disconnect. Troublesome. I had never thought of that.

Another thing which I then considered: He trusts everyone he meets and explicitly believes them that they have his interests at heart and will lead him home. We all know that is not so. Another disconnect?

Stop this foolishness. "Snow Bear" is a delightful "touch" book about a sweet, little bear who is loved by his gentle, caring mother. The tactile part is just lagniappe.

A note about white: White in art is rarely all white. The illustrations here demonstrate "whiteness" by including green, purple, blue, gray, and blue-green--all used to give shape, depth, and texture to the snow.

Sometimes a children's book is just a book to be enjoyed--

All of Harper's "touch me" books are fantastic! It's a delight to watch the enjoyment little ones get from these lovable books.

This was a gift for my 'Secret Pal'. I loved it, and so did the little guy
that recieved it. Great book!

I bought this for our son when he was about 1 year old. He asks for it all the time and he is now 2 1/2!
We read this book to him before he goes to sleep most nights and he loves it. It is a good length for a decent bedtime story, without worrying about losing a youngsters attention. The touch and feel pictures are a hit and in general this book cannot be faulted.
This has to be one of the best books we have bought for him, so much so that I am considering buying others by the same author.