The Other Bears

PreS-K—In this story about accepting individual and cultural differences, a family of koala bears (identified as marsupials on the end pages) reacts differently to families of "other bears" who arrive, with the parents complaining and the children applauding the various differences. Unfortunately, rather than celebrating diversity, the text often emphasizes inappropriate cultural and racial stereotypes and appropriation rather than friendship. For example, the family of Chinese panda bears, shown on the end pages singing karaoke, receives praise for their food, while the noisy American black bear family, featured with a basketball on the end pages, is praised for good music. The stark, white background sometimes detracts from the richly colored illustrations, but the renderings of the polar bears and sun bears are elegant and lovely, and the images offer plenty of opportunity to explore the details of the chosen cultural identity of each bear family. Not recommended for most libraries due to the cultural stereotypes. For a more sensitive celebration of diversity for very young children, try Mem Fox's Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes (Houghton Harcourt, 2008).—Sarah Westeren, Richland Library, Columbia, SC