A song for bear

Format:

Book

Title:

A song for bear

Author:

Dawnay, Gabby author

ISBN:

9780500651810

Publication:

London : Thames and Hudson, 2019.

Physical Description:

1 volume (unpaged) : colour illustrations ; 27 cm

Summary:

Bear wakes every morning to beautiful birdsong and longs to join in. He stretches his legs, puts on his cap and suspenders, and tries to sing with the beautiful birds crooning all around him in the forest. Unfortunately, he discovers his song is more of a holler, a howl, and rumbling growl. His wise friend, Owl, tries to encourage him by pointing out that Bear is not a bird, but Bear learns the wrong lesson and attempts to fly, thinking that being more birdlike might make him a better singer. In the end, Bear concentrates on what he does best, discovering in the process that his unique "bear song" is in fact a rap. All of the forest animals gather to watch him perform his new song, and cheer in amazement at his newfound talent. Satisfied with finding what makes him unique, Bear smiles to himself and promptly falls back to sleep.

Subject(s):

Bears -- Juvenile fiction.

Singing -- Juvenile fiction.

Birds -- Juvenile fiction.

Bears -- Fiction.

Singing -- Fiction.

Birds -- Fiction.

Genre:

Picture books for children.

Children's stories -- Pictorial works.

Added Author:

Barrow, Alex

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Salem Main Library	JP Dawnay	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

From the duo behind If I Had a Dinosaur and A House for Mouse, Gabby Dawnay and Alex Barrow's A Song for Bear is a story about recognizing and celebrating what makes us unique.

With vibrant illustrations and lyrical rhyming, A Song for Bear tells an imaginative and inspirational story in an entertaining way.

Author Notes

Gabby Dawnay is a writer and poet. She is the author of over twenty books for children, including the bestselling If I Had a . . . series. She is a regular contributor to OKIDO magazine and a scriptwriter for children's television.

Alex Barrow , a London-based illustrator, is the art director for and a regular contributor to OKIDO magazine. Alex and Gabby are also the duo behind children's picture books If I Had a Dinosaur, A House for Mouse, and A Song for Bear.

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

PreS-Gr 2-Little Bear loves watching and listening to the birds in the forest. They are soft, sweet, and graceful; the bear loves them so much, he decides to join their ranks. He tries to sing like a bird, but he growls like a bear. He tries to fly like a bird, but he falls to the ground. He tries to look like a bird, but he looks like a bear. With each attempt to become a bird, Little Bear grows sadder. Finally, a wise owl encourages him to think about all of the things he is good at. Little Bear lists the things he can do, and as he rhymes, he finds his own song--a rap. His song is different from the birds, but no less beautiful and powerful. This cute, heartwarming story is told through simple rhyming sentences. The plot is silly and perfect for young beginner readers. The poetic flow engages readers and will make a wonderful read-aloud. The graphic-style digital images are bright and dominate the page. They complement the elementary text with its clean legible font. VERDICT An uplifting selection to share with children, especially those seeking to discover their own songs.-Haley Amendt, Hinton Municipal Library, Alberta

Kirkus Review

Rhyming quatrains combine with an energy-filled rap to capture a bear's journey of self-discovery.Birdsong has woken the little brown bear up for so long that he knows all the words. But when he tries singing them, his voice is "strong, / but it wasn't exactly / a bird sort of song." In fact, his voice makes the birds fly away. When an owl flutters down to give advice, the bear jumps to the wrong conclusions. The owl points out that birds fly. Instead of understanding that birds and bears are different, the bear thinks learning to fly will help him singbut, of course, he just falls to the ground. The owl explains that birds have beaks, so the bear creates a paper beakbut that does nothing for his singing. When the owl finally suggests there are plenty of things the bear can do, the enthusiastic ursine discovers his own song, a rap. "I canswim, I can catch. / I can sniff, I can scratch." As his audience grows, his rap builds in enthusiasm and self-realization until the exhausted bear remembers something else he loves to dosleep. Simple illustrations in bold crayon colors against a neutral background make this book a good storytime selection, though it will take some practice to perfect the meter and transitions in and out of the rap segment.Readers will appreciate learning that there's more than one way to sing a song. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.