Today's read rings in the upcoming Autumn days...again. Yep, I'm all into these reads, right now. Every summer, I go into an 'end of hot weather' week count-down. Humidity and heat has never been my thing. Autumn...Winter...even Spring... but Summer? It's fine. There are things I like about it, too. Plus, it's necessary to prepare everything for the cooler days. But I prefer it just a tad bit cooler. It's not nice to go outside and immediately sweat just by standing there.
Anyway, let's just celebrate the upcoming cooler weather and dive into this read.
A FALL DAY FOR BEAR
by Bonny Becker
Illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton
Candlewick Press
Picture Book
40 pages
ages 4 to 8
COMING SEPTEMBER 9th!!!
Can gruff and grumpy Bear cheer up his usually upbeat friend Mouse? With signature with and whimsy, this delightfully mismatched duo is back in a much-anticipated seventh story!
One fall day Bear is getting ready to have a picnic with Mouse. But when it’s time to leave together, there is no tap, tap, tapping on Bear’s front door. Where is Mouse, small and gray and bright-eyed? Bear sets out to meet him on the path, only to find his friend sitting alone on a stump, looking sad, lamenting the changes of the season—leaves falling, flowers dying, birds migrating. “I don’t like it when things go away,” Mouse says quietly. How can the curmudgeonly Bear cheer up his usually cheery friend? With characteristic warmth, this perfectly paced story of friendship, difficult feelings, and a well-meaning role reversal meets the healing power of laughter in the masterful hands of Bonny Becker and Kady MacDonald Denton.
One fall day Bear is getting ready to have a picnic with Mouse. But when it’s time to leave together, there is no tap, tap, tapping on Bear’s front door. Where is Mouse, small and gray and bright-eyed? Bear sets out to meet him on the path, only to find his friend sitting alone on a stump, looking sad, lamenting the changes of the season—leaves falling, flowers dying, birds migrating. “I don’t like it when things go away,” Mouse says quietly. How can the curmudgeonly Bear cheer up his usually cheery friend? With characteristic warmth, this perfectly paced story of friendship, difficult feelings, and a well-meaning role reversal meets the healing power of laughter in the masterful hands of Bonny Becker and Kady MacDonald Denton.
MY TIDBITS
These pages hold an emotional roller-coaster to draw smiles and a little thought.
Bear is ready for a picnic with Mouse and has everything packed, but Mouse isn't only late. He's super late. When Bear realizes how windy it is, he begins to wonder if something happened to Mouse and heads out to see if he can find him. Sure enough, he finds mouse sitting on a log with a sad face. Mouse is depressed, since Autumn means everything is going away. Bear tries his best to cheer his friend up, but nothing seems to be working.
The illustrations already make this a book to pick up and enjoy. The watercolor plays nicely with the Autumn scenes to create a fitting atmosphere for every moment. There are also plenty of details to make it easy to dive into the scenes, and even the characters' emotions come across well. The text holds a lyrical direct, at first, but quickly shifts into smooth story mode. It's just right for a read-aloud and fits the age group nicely.
There's quite the play on emotions in this story. First, Bear's excitement switching to fear for his friend comes across as very familiar. When someone is late, the mind starts to imagine all sorts of things, and this anxiety is noticeable. But never overwhelming, which makes it work. The Mouse's depression clashes with Bear's cheer attitude, and it's almost comical as Mouse flows into theatrical sadness. Which then draws Bear's mood right down with it. The end wraps everything up nicely, but the changing emotions due to others is easy to see. It's subtle but will have readers noticing. And this opens up nicely to discussions, if desired. Plus, it's simply a fun read with two lovely characters. I hope we'll see more of this duo in the future.
And here they are...
My dad was a respected small-town doctor who dreamed of dancing like Fred Astaire and drove a motorcycle to his rounds in the dead of winter bundled in a huge parka. My mom urged us up narrow mountain roads and out to empty deserts in search of rare birds, and happily managed to read just about every book in the library while six kids, their friends, various dogs, cats, hamsters, ducks, chickens, even a giant pet rat tumbled through life about her.
As my mother did, I like a bit of chaos and lots of time to think and dream in my life. One of my earliest dreams—to be a writer—came true. But before I published my first book, I went to college—twice. I have a degree in psychology and a degree in English/creative writing. I’ve worked picking fruit, made ski goggles, and was a waitress, a store clerk, a substitute teacher, a hotel maid, a typist, a photographer, a journalist, an editor, and a corporate communications manager. Along the way, I met a wonderful man in the vitamin aisle of a grocery store, got married, and had two wonderful children.
For my first Candlewick book, A Visitor for Bear, the character Mouse just popped into my head. It turns out that just popping up is a bad habit of his, much to the annoyance of grouchy, reclusive Bear.
But a little bit of me is in every book I write, and I think Mouse comes in part from every happy pet I’ve owned along with a touch of my father’s wit and charm. I love to say that Bear is based on my husband (who is very pleased with this idea), but I suspect Bear comes from a lot of sources, including the Donald Duck cartoons I watched as a kid. Poor smugly content Donald was always driven into a rage by life’s inevitable indignities.
There are now more Mouse and Bear books on the bookshelves, including A Birthday for Bear and A Bedtime for Bear.
As my mother did, I like a bit of chaos and lots of time to think and dream in my life. One of my earliest dreams—to be a writer—came true. But before I published my first book, I went to college—twice. I have a degree in psychology and a degree in English/creative writing. I’ve worked picking fruit, made ski goggles, and was a waitress, a store clerk, a substitute teacher, a hotel maid, a typist, a photographer, a journalist, an editor, and a corporate communications manager. Along the way, I met a wonderful man in the vitamin aisle of a grocery store, got married, and had two wonderful children.
For my first Candlewick book, A Visitor for Bear, the character Mouse just popped into my head. It turns out that just popping up is a bad habit of his, much to the annoyance of grouchy, reclusive Bear.
But a little bit of me is in every book I write, and I think Mouse comes in part from every happy pet I’ve owned along with a touch of my father’s wit and charm. I love to say that Bear is based on my husband (who is very pleased with this idea), but I suspect Bear comes from a lot of sources, including the Donald Duck cartoons I watched as a kid. Poor smugly content Donald was always driven into a rage by life’s inevitable indignities.
There are now more Mouse and Bear books on the bookshelves, including A Birthday for Bear and A Bedtime for Bear.
1 comment:
Mouse and bear will really help those who feel sad in the fall but can't quite place it. And the pictures are so inviting!
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