"Old Bear" is a fun, explorative book for young children, telling the story of a bear, dreaming about the passing of multiple seasons, including winter, spring, fall, and summer, that leaves the reader questioning how the bear will react when he wakes up -- will he be disappointed in what he sees outside, or ecstatic? What will await his eyes when he awakes?Unlike some of Henkes other books, such as "Kitten's First Full Moon", or "Birds", which are rather simplistic in illustrations, "Old Bear" seems to be the polar opposite. The colors are flowing, vivid, and bright, some of the most elaborate and colorful illustrations of Henkes. As the seasons progress from fall to winter, and from winter to spring, the colors change, but never falter in their brilliance. One of the most interesting features of this book is that as the color schemes change, such as from the blues of winter to the pinks and purples of spring, the text changes as well, following the illustrations in color.Overall, this book is a great choice for kids, as it is continually engaging throughout. It can be used to teach colors, since there are a variety of them in the text, as well as seasons. "Old Bear" should be placed on the shelf in every preschool-grade 3! Old Bear curls up in his den for a long winter’s nap. In deep sleep he dreams about springtime summertime and autumn. The Old Bear finally wakes up, and notices it is spring once again. Even thought this book was not told in a poetic form, as I was reading this story I felt like I was reading a poem. This story flows beautifully and includes a lot of descriptive words which is why it gives this book a poem like feel. The illustrations are beautiful. Each season is complimented with an illustration that includes the colors that reflect each season. The illustrations and colors make the reader feel like as if they were experiencing the season as they read; the bright colors make you feel like your in summer, and the dark reds and oranges make you feel like you in the middle of autumn. this is an emotion filled book, which I love! A great use for this book can be to teach children in the classroom about the four seasons.
What do You think about Old Bear (2008)?
Beautiful illustrations, but it ended very abruptly.
—Indigo
