Bear & Hare Go Fishing

May 1, 2015
An easygoing fishing trip yields unexpected catches. Setting off to fish, Bear affectionately places a green hat on Hare's head. Somehow Hare ends up carrying the supplies, including fishing net, picnic hamper, and thermos. Bear carries only his fishing pole, which is so long it escapes the pages. The water in which they fish (though really only Bear fishes) is represented by the entire right-hand page of the spreads, colored a faintly mottled robin's-egg blue. With his pole and net, Bear snags Hare's hat (right off his head!), a frog, and a roller skate. The skate flies smack into the middle of a cake from Hare's picnic basket. Hare stands on one leg in the skate, balancing. As Bear dozes off and the fishing pole falls out of position, Hare plays with daisies, which dangle off his extremely long ear and over the water. Daisies, it turns out, are simply too baitlike to be resisted by the startling catch of the day. Gravett's pencils, crayons, and watercolors employ light lines and a delicate touch to create Bear's orange-brown scruffiness and Hare's softer white fur. The limitation here is that the pages' edges are so close to the action that the scenes feel constrained, and the all-important fishing line is more often off the page than on. Funny and quick, with excellent art that's curbed by its tight frame. (Picture book. 2-5)

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June 1, 2015

PreS-Gr 2-Although surprisingly simple at first glance, this title is filled to the gills with charm and cleverness. The scant 32-word text is mostly concerned with Bear. He catches some odd items with his rod and reel as patiently dismayed Hare looks on. However, it is Hare's boredom-born daisy chains that end up pulling a giant fish across the gutter into clear orange-gold watercolor. Cleanly composed and limited to just a couple words per page, the spareness of the text highlights the true power of the book-the illustrations. Rich characters come to life through Gravett's carefully expressive lines. Despite a potentially static situation, Bear and Hare sprawl across the pages in a wonderful variety of comic positions. The book design is also smart; the backdrop has been left either white or blue, the blue vaguely indicating the lake on which they are fishing. Additionally, the subtle shading of an underwater fish gently foreshadows the arrival of Hare's prize. Even the copyright information is cast as a delightful string of fishing line unwinding from Bear's pole to the delicate blue fish in Hare's grateful net. The quantity of words and their repetitiveness even recommend this book as an easy reader. Furthermore, the counterpoint between the visual story and the text is packed with a high interest punch for bonus appeal. This book will delight a wide range of readers; it should shift with ease from the limited attention span of a toddler to an inquisitive second grader carefully poring over the pictures. VERDICT Expect some award buzz around this title; it's not to be missed.-Erin Reilly-Sanders, Ohio State University, Columbus

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