Wednesday, February 2, 2022

Moon Bear by Brenda Z. Guiberson, illustrated by Ed Young

[Originally published in 2010]

In a simple series of questions and answers, Brenda Guiberson guides the reader through the habits and behavior of moon bears. The story follows a moon bear from waking up after a long hibernation, through foraging, sleeping, and back to hibernation, from which she emerges with a special surprise. A brief author's note explains the current plight of the moon bears, shows several pictures of rescued bears, and directs readers to a website where they can learn more or donate.

Ed Young's art is amazing. It begins with patterned endpapers and continues with a wide variety of textures and colors. Blinding reds pepper the pages dominated by the black and white bear and the dark backgrounds are enlivened with photographs of ants, grass, and skies ranging from pastel violets to pale morning peach.

Verdict: This is a great read-aloud for toddlers, preschool and kindergarten. The simple, repetitive questions will capture toddlers' interest while older children will enjoy learning about a new animal and all ages can pore over the fascinating art. I would have liked to see more resources in the back explaining the moon bear's habits and situation (the website given has very limited information) but while this lack of in-depth information will limit the book's usefulness with older children, it's still a wonderful read-aloud for the pre-school crowd.

Revisited: I never ended up using this one as much as I thought I would, but it's still in print in paperback format if you want to give it a try.

ISBN: 0805089772; Published May 2010 by Henry Holt; Review copy provided by publisher; Review copy provided by publisher through Raab Associates

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