Orange Pear Apple Bear

Starred review from March 19, 2007
Gravett, who won the Kate Greenaway Medal for Wolves
, has another winner here. Using just the four words in the title in various combinations (plus a fifth word for a punchline), she ingeniously chronicles a big friendly bear's encounter with some fresh produce. Some of the vignettes are semi-reality based: the bear juggles the fruit ("Apple, bear, orange, pear") and balances all three pieces on his nose ("Orange, pear, apple, bear"). But other spreads are thoroughly fanciful: in one, Gravett tints the pear bright orange, and renders the dubious-looking bear in the green and blush hues of a Granny Smith apple ("Orange pear/ Apple bear"). The ursine hero later makes a quick meal of each fruit ("Pear, bear") and trots off into the sunset to the sound of the satisfactory punchline: "There!" Gravett sets her simple, almost iconic watercolor images against crisp white backgrounds. The fruit looks good enough to eat, and the bear, who clearly relishes his moment in the spotlight, is a winning performer. Ages 1-4.

Starred review from April 1, 2007
PreS-Gr 1-A plump brown bear adds a humorous touch to this charming book about shapes, colors, and sequence. Five words, four of which appear in the title, make up the entire text. The cuddly-looking bear changes color and shape as he balances, juggles, and eventually eats the three pieces of fruit before loping off. The front endpapers show oranges, green pears, and green apples with rosy tinges in a line leading readers into the simple and appealing story. The endpapers at the close reveal the telltale remains: an orange peel and the apple and pear cores. Beautiful, softly hued watercolor illustrations loosely outlined in black pen and ink are delightful. Children and adults alike will relish this delectable book."Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI"

Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2007
Choose five words; paint pictures for words; mix with charm; create original and imaginative book. Voila picture book that exemplifies simplicity at its most creative and entertaining. The four words of the title, combined in various ways, form a visual tale as a bear juggles, interacts with, and ultimately eats an orange, pear, and apple. Stark white backgrounds set off Gravetts loosely brushed watercolor pictures of animal and fruit, which play off of the staccato words to demonstrate how punctuation and intonation can dramatically alter meanings: Apple, Pear goes with an image of stacked fruit, while Orange Bear shows the animal puzzling over his citrus-hued fur. Though the books design appears artless, it is quite the opposite, skillfully juxtaposing page layouts to maximize the humor of the wordplay. Ideal for prereaders and helpful to those ready to write stories of their own, this will make children laugh and learn as they follow the bears antics and chant the rhymed sequences of words.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)