The Very Cranky Bear

May 5, 2014
Using a singsong rhyme scheme and a comically bumbling animal cast, Bland (The Runaway Hug) playfully introduces the concepts of consideration and respect in a story first published in Australia in 2008. Four four-footed pals think they have found the perfect place to play “in the Jingle Jangle Jungle on a cold and rainy day” when they wander into a dry cave. But just when their card game gets going, the crew is confronted by the cave’s original inhabitant—a very cranky bear who’s been roused from his sleep by their arrival. Undeterred, Zebra, Moose, and Lion devise a scheme (“ ‘Wait a minute,’ said Zebra,/ as she scratched her furry chin./ ‘Maybe if we cheered him up,/ he’d let us come back in’ ”), which only makes things worse. In the end, it’s “plain” and quiet Sheep who comes up with a selfless gesture that soothes Bear and wins the day. Bland’s cartoonishly anthropomorphic critters (the female characters sport eyelashes and rosy cheeks) form a goofy, amiable group well-suited to the silly proceedings. Ages 3–5.

May 1, 2014
How do you deal with a very cranky bear?"In the Jingle Jangle Jungle on a cold and rainy day, / four little friends found a perfect place to play." Moose, Lion, Zebra and Sheep hunker down out of the cold rain to play a hand or two of cards...but they aren't alone in the dim cave. There's a big cranky bear who promptly roars at them and chases them away. Back out in the rain, the friends speculate as to why Bear is so cranky. Zebra thinks he needs stripes. Moose thinks he needs antlers. Lion's sure he needs a mane. Sheep isn't sure. "So Zebra fetched a can of mud, and Lion, some grass of gold. / Moose got two big branches, and Sheep...well, Sheep got cold." The three friends are in the cave long enough to make Sheep think they've been eaten, but they've just given Bear a makeover he's none too happy about. Bear roars about only wanting a quiet place to sleep...and Sheep has just the stuff-er, fluff: She makes him a pillow from some of her wool. Bland's silly jungle tale, published in his native Australia in 2008, will have young listeners giggling, particularly once Bear's all dolled up. Older listeners might wonder why the other animals are so pudgy and cute compared to Bear (especially Lion).Good, not-so-cranky fun. (Picture book. 3-7)

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May 1, 2014

Gr 1-3-In the Jingle Jangle Jungle, a quartet of comical animals take refuge from a storm in a cave-only to find the titular bear none too happy to be awakened from his sleep. Determined to cheer him up, Moose, Lion, and Zebra adorn the bear with antlers made from branches, a mane made from grass, and stripes painted on with mud-surely he will feel better if he looks like them, right? Only Sheep thinks beyond her own perspective; she shears off some of her wool to make a soft pillow, and the bear finally goes back to sleep. The silly rhyming text bounces along with an infectious rhythm that is perfect for storytime, and kids will enjoy the colorful, cartoonish illustrations and exaggerated features of the animals. (Expect giggles when they see the striped, maned, antlered bear.) This deceptively simple story is also a great jumping-off point for discussions about kindness and empathy.-Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD

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