Eat Like a Bear

Sayre and Jenkins follow Vulture View (2007) with a similarly excellent study of brown bears that's in equal parts poetic and enlightening. Clipped, second-person verse lets readers imagine themselves as bears that have just awoken from a winter's hibernation. "Can you eat like a bear?" Sayre asks as the book opens. "Awake in April. Find food./ But where?" Repeated throughout as the months pass, the "find food" line reads like a mantra, underlining how much of a bear's life is dedicating to acquiring food to sustain itself, not always an easy task (an elk calf proves too fast to catch). An extensive appendix--about bears' eating habits, hibernation, and interactions with humans--explains that brown bears are omnivorous, and the book bears that out (no pun intended). In May, the brown bear "Chomp parsnip stems" and dandelions, while later months have him eating ants, trout, roots, and an unlucky ground squirrel ("Grab and crunch/ a meaty lunch"). Jenkins's torn-paper collages are typically exquisite in their naturalistic detail; the bark paper he uses for the bear is especially well-suited to capturing its grizzled, hulking furriness. Ages 4-8. (Oct.)

Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

PreS-Gr 3--Posing the question, "Can you eat like a bear?" this book follows a brown bear as it forages for food throughout the year. Emerging from hibernation in April, the animal sets out on its quest. Each month provides a different delicacy: crispy roots and a ground squirrel in July, juicy huckleberries in September, a stash of pinecones in October. All serve to fatten up the omnivorous creature as it prepares once again for hibernation. The short text is set in a clear, large font and that, coupled with the big, full-color, cut- and torn-paper collage illustrations, makes it a natural for sharing with a group. The mammals themselves are rendered by using handmade Mexican bark paper. Its rough nature gives them greater impact and dimension on the pages. The extensive end notes provide details about the diet of the brown bear, or Ursus artos, its threatened status, and current scientific studies. This additional information increases the usefulness of the title, making it a viable classroom and research tool. That, along with the beautiful art, makes this a first choice for most libraries.--Sara-Jo Lupo Sites, George F. Johnson Memorial Library, Endicott, NY

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.