From Bogey Bear
This is an amazing book, simple as can be but as fun as any picture
book you will ever see. Believe-it-or-not, young children will
actually be able to read this with you! As you share this book,
carefully point at the words (there are only 5) and start to sound them
out. Between the pictures, the letters, and additional help when
you start to sound each word out, the children will soon be reading this
book with you! I have never seen a book like this and I am sure
you never have either. The ending is a surprise and so very funny
- children will just howl with delight and the first time you read it,
so will you.
About the Book
In only five words -- four of which are in the title -- Kate Greenaway
Medalist Emily Gravett presents a delightful picture book that is
"simple and stunning" (The Guardian), and "daring, original, and a joy"
(Sunday Times, London).
From School Library Journal
Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 1—A plump brown bear adds a humorous
touch to this charming book about shapes, colors, and sequence. Five
words, four of which appear in the title, make up the entire text. The
cuddly-looking bear changes color and shape as he balances, juggles, and
eventually eats the three pieces of fruit before loping off.
The front endpapers show oranges, green pears, and green apples with rosy tinges in a line leading readers into the simple and appealing story. The endpapers at the close reveal the telltale remains: an orange peel and the apple and pear cores. Beautiful, softly hued watercolor illustrations loosely outlined in black pen and ink are delightful. Children and adults alike will relish this delectable book.
Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Choose five words; paint pictures for words; mix with charm; create
original and imaginative book. Voilà—a picture book that exemplifies
simplicity at its most creative and entertaining. The four words of the
title, combined in various ways, form a visual tale as a bear juggles,
interacts with, and ultimately eats an orange, pear, and apple.
Stark white backgrounds set off Gravett's loosely brushed watercolor pictures of animal and fruit, which play off of the staccato words to demonstrate how punctuation and intonation can dramatically alter meanings: Apple, Pear goes with an image of stacked fruit, while Orange Bear shows the animal puzzling over his citrus-hued fur.
Though the book's design appears artless, it is quite the opposite, skillfully juxtaposing page layouts to maximize the humor of the wordplay. Ideal for prereaders and helpful to those ready to write stories of their own, this will make children laugh and learn as they follow the bear's antics and chant the rhymed sequences of words.
Cummins, Julie
About the Author
Emily Gravett is the author and illustrator of Again!, Wolf Won't Bite!,
Blue Chameleon, The Odd Egg, The Rabbit Problem, Dogs, Spells, Little
Mouse's Big Book of Fears (winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal), Monkey
and Me and Meerkat Mail.
Her first book, Wolves, was the winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal and the Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor Award for Illustration. Her second book, Orange Pear Apple Bear, a Quills Award finalist and on the shortlist for the Kate Greenaway Medal, was a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year and a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year. Emily lives in Brighton, England, with her partner, their daughter, and the family dog. For more, please visit her website.