Orange Pear Apple Bear

Gravett, who won the Kate Greenaway Medal for "Wolves", has another winner here. Using just the four words in the title in various combinations (plus a fifth word for a punchline), she ingeniously chronicles a big friendly bear's encounter with some fresh produce. Some of the vignettes are semi-reality based: the bear juggles the fruit ("Apple, bear, orange, pear") and balances all three pieces on his nose ("Orange, pear, apple, bear"). But other spreads are thoroughly fanciful: in one, Gravett tints the pear bright orange, and renders the dubious-looking bear in the green and blush hues of a Granny Smith apple ("Orange pear/ Apple bear"). The ursine hero later makes a quick meal of each fruit ("Pear, bear") and trots off into the sunset to the sound of the satisfactory punchline: "There!" Gravett sets her simple, almost iconic watercolor images against crisp white backgrounds. The fruit looks good enough to eat, and the bear, who clearly relishes his moment in the spotlight, is a winning performer. Ages 1-4. "(May)" Copyright 2007 Publishers Weekly Used with permission.

PreS-Gr 1 A plump brown bear adds a humorous touch to this charming book about shapes, colors, and sequence. Five words, four of which appear in the title, make up the entire text. The cuddly-looking bear changes color and shape as he balances, juggles, and eventually eats the three pieces of fruit before loping off. The front endpapers show oranges, green pears, and green apples with rosy tinges in a line leading readers into the simple and appealing story. The endpapers at the close reveal the telltale remains: an orange peel and the apple and pear cores. Beautiful, softly hued watercolor illustrations loosely outlined in black pen and ink are delightful. Children and adults alike will relish this delectable book."Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI" Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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