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Library | Call Number | Status |
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Searching... Mount Angel Public Library | E YOLEN | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Silver Falls Library | JP YOLEN | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Baby Bear is the littlest bear in his family, and sometimes that's not so easy. Mama and Papa Bear get to stay up late in their great big chairs. Big brother gets to play fun games in his middle-sized chair. And Baby Bear only seems to cause trouble in his own tiny chair. But at the end of the day, he finds the oneperfect chair that's comfier and cozier than all the rest.
Bestselling author Jane Yolen and popular illustrator Melissa Sweet have come together to create a lyrical bedtime tale about a baby bear trying to find his place in a family. With a playful rhyming text and adorable, fun illustrations, here is a book for parents and their own baby bears to treasure.
Author Notes
Jane Yolen was born February 11, 1939 in New York City. She received a bachelor's degree from Smith College in 1960 and a master's degree in education from the University of Massachusetts in 1976. After college, she became an editor in New York City and wrote during her lunch break. She sold her first children's book, Pirates in Petticoats, at the age of 22. Since then, she has written over 300 books for children, young adults, and adults.
Her other works include the Emperor and the Kite, Owl Moon, How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? and The Devil's Arithmetic. She has won numerous awards including the Kerlan Award, the Regina Medal, the Keene State Children's Literature Award, the Caldecott Medal, two Nebula Awards, two Christopher Medals, the World Fantasy Award, three Mythopoeic Fantasy Awards, the Golden Kite Award, the Jewish Book Award, the World Fantasy Association's Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Association of Jewish Libraries Award.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
To a tiny bear, it seems like the world is made for the "great big bears"-like his parents-who survey their domain from "great big chairs." The cub's older brother has it pretty good, too. No high chairs "with straps so/ tiny bears don't fall" for those of his brother's ilk: "middling bears" get to sit in "middling chairs," big enough to serve as pretend pirate ships (and if those middling bears take a tumble from the mast, they get right up again and "never cry"). But while tiny bears may get bossed around a lot and have yet to prepare for that rough-and-tumble life, they do have one advantage: they can "cuddle up/ to take a nap/ upon the chair/ that's Papa's lap." Yolen's (Soft House, reviewed below) empathetic rhyming text infuses the classic preschooler's complaint with touching eloquence; as always, she connects with young readers without pandering to them. Sweet (Carmine: A Little More Red) makes an ideal visual partner. Her mixed-media illustrations exude a sunny open-heartedness; the slightly naif style opts for emotional authenticity over realism, but Sweet also includes plenty of domestic details to create a bear household that is both a loving one and also a great setting for a play date. Above all, the pictures assure youngsters that no matter how they may rail against the injustices of being small, there are still many benefits. Ages 2-5. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Some bears sit / in great big chairs, / great big chairs / for great big bears."" A bear cub employs airtight minimal rhymes to hint at what's troubling him: it's not always fun being little. Lap-sitters will delight in the text's rhythms and in recognizing their wee, tumble- and mess-prone selves in Sweet's glorious mixed-media art. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
PreS. Yolen has extended and amended her poem "Bears' Chairs" from The Three Bears Rhyme Book 0 (1987) to create the text of this appealing picture book. "Some bears sit / in great big chairs, / great big chairs / for great big bears," it begins. Not only is the sound of the verse satisfying, the tone is also pleasing, with well-chosen words expressing a small child's--OK, a small bear's--point of view. And that tone is reflected in the artwork, too. Fresh and bright, the large-scale pictures combine pencil, paint, and collage elements to illustrate the everyday activities of a likable little bear family at home while including a few fun-to-notice details. As an antidote to the many saccharine picture books composed of sweet, drippy lines repeatedly reaffirming parental affection, this one offers a pleasing story in which love for children--or cubs--is simply an integral part of daily life. A great choice for reading aloud. --Carolyn Phelan Copyright 2005 Booklist