There, There

PreS-Gr 2--Hansie Bear is a bit clumsy. Although he has lots of ideas and imagination when it comes to pretending, he always gets bumped or scraped in some way. It would be fun to walk like a duck, he thinks, until he falls sideways into a ditch and hurts his knee. Digging his deepest hole ever just gets sand in his eyes, and he also falls off his swing and bumps his head. Luckily, Dad is there to rescue his cub. He puts a bandage on Hansie's knee, tells the little bear to "blinkety-blink" to clear his eyes, hugs him, and offers a timely "there, there...you'll be fine" after each mishap. With such comforting, Hansie is up and ready to play again. But later that afternoon, he sees his father coming home walking very slowly. Dad hurt his foot when he stepped on a thorn. Mom pulls it out, but Hansie knows just what to do to make his dad feel better: "There, there," he says with a hug, "we'll be all right now." The soft illustrations are done in mixed media; Bates has captured the warmth of a father's love for his son in the older bear's expressions, and Hansie is an adorable young bear, full of curiosity and energy. A fine portrayal of parental love and caring.--Roxanne Burg, Orange County Public Library, CA

What is it about the repetition of "There, there" that makes a person feel instantly understood and comforted? While McBratney and Bates don't venture into lexical semantics (thank goodness), they are eloquent on the phrase's power as a manifestation of empathy. When their hero, Hansie Bear, suffers the minor slings and arrows of childhood (a stumble, a hurt knee, a head bump, sand in his eyes), his father gives him an enveloping cuddle, says "There, there," and the cub feels "right again." There are no big surprises in this simply told book, but it's a deeply resonant story. Bates, who previously collaborated with McBratney on Just You and Me and other titles, offers softly radiant sketches that capture the reassuring warmth of the father's furry embrace, while McBratney contributes some exceedingly lovely dialogue. "I was trying to walk like a duck!" the injured Hansie explains. "Well, that's not easy," says his father sagely, "unless you are a duck." It's not surprising that when Dad needs a little "There, there," himself, Hansie is ready to step up: after all, he's learned from a master. Ages 3-7. (Sept.)