Where Is Bear? [Hardcover]

Leslea Newman (Author), Valeri Gorbachev (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 2 and up

The animals in the forest are playing hide-and-seek, and everyone is found--except for the biggest one of all! Where, oh where, could Bear have gone? One thing is certain: Bear's friends will do whatever it takes to find him.

Lesléa Newman's rhythmic text and Valeri Gorbachev's charming illustrations will make every child eager to join this playful search for the missing Bear.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreS–A wonderful rendition of the ever-familiar hide-and-seek game, this rhyming story gives readers a forest-animal version. Bunny kicks things off by being "It" as all the other creatures run off to their respective woodland hiding places. While Bunny doesn't take long to locate most of the critters, it is the largest of the beasts, Bear, whose whereabouts remain elusive. Bunny and company bravely go where few have gone before to locate their ursine friend. It must be heading toward winter in the woods because although Bear is located in his cave and roused, he doesn't remain awake for long. With charming pen-and-ink and watercolor spreads that depict the animals' bewilderment, this fun-loving, simply told story will appeal to the preschool set.–Rosalyn Pierini, San Luis Obispo City-County Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"A wonderful rendition of the ever-familiar hide-and-seek game . . . This fun-loving, simply told story will appeal to the preschool set."—School Library Journal

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 2 and up
  
• Hardcover: 44 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; 1 edition (September 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152049363
• ISBN-13: 978-0152049362
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,422,299 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lesléa Newman is the author of 64 books for readers of all ages including the middle grade novel, HACHIKO WAITS, the poetry collection, STILL LIFE WITH BUDDY, the short story collection, A LETTER TO HARVEY MILK, and the children's books A SWEET PASSOVER, THE BOY WHO CRIED FABULOUS, THE BEST CAT IN THE WORLD, DONOVAN'S BIG DAY, and HEATHER HAS TWO MOMMIES. Her literary awards include poetry fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Massachusetts Artists Foundation. Nine of her books have been Lambda Literary Award finalists. A past poet laureate of Northampton, Massachusetts, she is a faculty member of Spalding University's brief-residency MFA in Writing program.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review on Where Is Bear?, November 15, 2004

By 

Sara C - See all my reviews

This review is from: Where Is Bear? (Hardcover)

The animals of the forest are playing hide-and-seek and Bunny is "it." She closes her eyes, counts to ten, and sets off to find her forest friends. She finds each and every animal except for Bear. They search everywhere, until there's only one place left to look. The animals stick together and peek inside the cave to find Bear, napping. Bear wakes up and starts to count to ten, because it is his turn to be "it." Bear only makes it to count four, before he begins to snore.

In this adorable rhyming book, the forest animals talk and act like children playing the classic game of hide-and-seek. The illustrations are done in pen-and-ink and watercolors. The illustrations function in several ways to add to the story. First of all, they establish the setting. From the moment the reader picks up the book, they know that the cute animals live in an equally cute and whimsical forest. The pen-and-ink lines that make up the animals blend in with the forest background, but the color brilliantly defines them. Through the illustrations the characters are developed and defined to be curious, careful, and fun loving. While it doesn't say in the text, "Bunny tiptoed," or "Squirrel scampered," the ideas of their movement and mannerisms can be found in the illustrations. Third, the illustrations help develop the plot. Each bit of text is accompanied by an enormous, full-page, color picture, which paints a picture in our mind as the story is being told. Finally, the illustrations help in establishing the mood. The light and airy, yet bright colors used on each page help create a fantasy world that we want to join. The illustrations are so inviting, it would be easy for children to truly want to visit the forest, and play a game of hide-and-seek with the animals.

This book would be perfect to use as a read-aloud in a pre-school or kindergarten room. The sentences are simple, the illustrations are big, bold, and colorful, and the rhyming throughout the book is catchy and fun. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to enjoy a quick visit to a whimsical, colorful forest of animals.

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Good Children's Book., July 14, 2011

By 

Guitar Book Guy - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Where Is Bear? (Paperback)

I would highly recommend this book. My son is 3 and a half and lIves it. The illustrations are very well done and it is not too short of a read.

4.0 out of 5 stars hide and seek, March 11, 2007

By 

Melissa Sack (georgia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Where Is Bear? (Paperback)

Bunny and her forest friends are playing hide and seek. She counts to ten while the animal friends hide. Bunny finds most all of her friends quickly. Bear is the last one to be found! Where could he be! Join in the fun and find out!