FICTION

No Bears

illus. by Leila Rudge. 32p. Candlewick. 2012. RTE $15.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-5890-8.
COPY ISBN
PreS-K—Ella, the narrator of this lively picture book, asserts that stories should have "fairies and princesses and castles," but definitely not bears as she is tired of them. She proceeds to tell a tale completely devoid of bears—except for the scene stealer that keeps popping up in the margins to help, hinder, and, ultimately, save the day. The text plays off Rudge's winsome illustrations to great effect, with literary references to everything from "The Gingerbread Man" to "The Owl and the Pussycat." The expressive pictures, dancing across the spreads in a palette of yellows, greens, and browns, are so detailed and artistic that one would never know they were created digitally. The bears/no bears joke upon which the story rests may be a thin one, but children will be delighted to be in the know, especially when they find the familiar characters hidden in the illustrations.—Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD
Ella proclaims that she is in charge of this book, and it will have a princess (herself) and a monster but no bears, not a one. Readers will see that there is a bear in the book they're reading, one who eventually rescues the princess from the monster. Both the story and the delicate, droll pictures draw readers in, along with the many fairy-tale details to discover.
Ella proclaims that she is in charge of this book, and this book will have no bears, not a one: "Every time you read a book, it’s just BEARS BEARS BEARS." She decrees that her book will have a monster and a princess and a fairy godmother instead, makes herself a crown, and begins her bear-free tale. Readers, however, can see perfectly well in the delicate and droll illustrations that there is a bear in the book they’re reading, one wearing a green print dress with a nice bee pattern. Ella’s fairy godmother endeavors to keep the bear out of the story, but when she puts down her magic wand for a moment, the bear picks it up and eventually uses it to rescue the princess from the monster. This is a picture book that will send the reader delightedly back again and again to sort out the layers of reality. In one illustration, for instance, Ella is reaching into the book to add a castle while her fairy godmother is painting a no-bears-allowed sign on the page and the bear stands forlornly across the book, holding a picture of itself holding a jar of honey. Both the story and the inventive digital pictures draw readers in deeper and deeper, along with the many fairy-tale details to discover (clever viewers will spot all the usual suspects, from Little Red Riding Hood to Rapunzel to the Three Little Pigs). susan dove lempke

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