Bear Is Awake!

August 15, 2019
Every letter of the alphabet is used--some more than once--in a plot involving a human child and a furry, brown bear about five times bigger. A line of snow-laden conifers spreads across the back of the initial double-page spread. In the foreground of the recto, the bear sits in a cave, a dazed look on its face. The bottom of the page shows an upper- and lowercase letter A followed by the word "awake." The story continues with Bb and "big bear" on the next page and the bear's obvious goal, a "cozy cabin," across the gutter. Children will love the fact that the cabin's inhabitant is a young, pale-skinned child (with long, gold locks that cannot be a coincidence) who, despite an initial shriek of "eek!" as the bear "enter[s] excited," soon takes control of the situation. The cleverness and humor of the words are matched by art that is painterly, adorably sweet, and laugh-out-loud funny. The kid ties a ridiculous, yellow-knitted "hat" on the bear before marching it through town. People of all ages and racial presentations react to the bear as it responds to a snowman, the public "library," and the food "market." Since there are no sentences--only words--the book allows little ones to conjecture and comment. According to the jacket bio, this book was inspired by Helen Oxenbury's ABC of Things (1971). It is a fitting tribute. A perfect a-bear-cedary. (Picture book. 3-7)

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Starred review from November 1, 2019

PreS-Gr 2-Alphabet books are published fairly regularly for good reason: they help children crack the code to letter sounds and words. Every once in a while, a special one comes out that grabs readers with its creativity and spirit while still accomplishing all its lofty goals. This is one of those elusive abecedarians. Right from the get-go, readers know that this book is going to be exciting: "Bear is Awake!" That exclamation portends good things. Bear wakes up after his winter nap and finds a cozy cottage where he rings a doorbell. A startled little girl lets him in and he proceeds to eat everything in sight. The bear is adorably goofy, the palette soft and colorful, and the movements of the bear and the girl across the pages pull readers contentedly through the book. The underlying story of friendship and empathy is charming and the vocabulary accessible and informative. Harrison cites Helen Oxenbury's ABC of Things as her inspiration and hopes this book inspires wonder like that great one before her. VERDICT This is a must-buy for any parent, elementary, or juvenile collection, and teachers will find this a great model text for writing.-Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from November 11, 2019
A grizzly bear rouses prematurely from hibernation and stirs up hunger-fueled pandemonium for a child in Harrison’s narrative abecedarian. Each letter describes elements of the duo’s journey, the dynamic illustrations proving of particular note as the bear awakens, rings the child’s doorbell, and after being disguised in a yellow cap, ambles with the girl, visiting a library to learn about bears’ needs and a market to acquire hibernation supplies. After pancakes at the girl’s cabin, the pair plods through the wilderness toward the bear’s den so the animal can resume its slumber—this time with treats, a quilt, and the girl’s own teddy. Humorous facial expressions occur every step of the way, and the bear’s good-natured mayhem should draw smiles. Ages 3–5.