Reason for Reading: My son read the book aloud to me as his reader.

Summary: Little Bear meets Emily for the first time; she and her parents are camping in the woods for the summer. They become friends, have adventures on their way to owl's house for his party and say goodbye at the end of the summer.

Comments: Fans of the TV show will be interested in seeing how Emily really meets Little Bear for the first time and that indeed she does have parents who are alive and well! This book more than other's in the series follows a more traditional chapter book with a fairly cohesive story rather than four separate short stories. Each is connected to, or continues on from the previous. Minarik was a brilliant story teller and she, as usual, does a wonderful job with the limited vocabulary of this book, part of the original "An I Can Read Book" series. Minarik's stories themselves can stand on their own but I personally think that these have become the classics they are because of the combination of Minarik's writing and Maurice Sendak's illustrations. Lovely, whimsical illustrations showcase perfect examples of Sendak's work that focuses on the regular aspects of life rather than his fantastical works for which he is more well known.

With the entry of Emily into the series, these books become more girl friendly and yet still retain their appropriateness for boys. Children shouldn't miss out on the original books if they've only been exposed to the cartoon show. Written at a Level 1 reading level the book is simple and straight forward to read, making it a pleasure for beginners or struggling readers. ( )

Genre: This is modern fantasy because bears cannot talk, nor can owls or foxes or any animal in this book that lives a human life. Bears and the other animals do not live in human houses with human appliances and they are not friends with humans in reality. This is also fantasy because animals cannot speak with humans in English, let alone each other. It is creative but not possible at all.

The media looks to be some charcoal pencil work, graphite, ink, and maybe some watercolor work. There are not many colors, but I think this makes the book more interesting to readers because it is simple. The story line is involved enough that it is interesting to older readers, but it is simple enough for younger readers to take a long time with, perhaps with only one chapter at a time. The illustrations are well suited to the rest of the story and even though the details are small sometimes, it is easy to know what characters are which - this makes the story easy to follow. ( )

Fantasy for primary (early readers). Little Bear and Emily become good friends and encounter little problems but work together to help other and eachother overcome them. When Emily goes back to school Little Bear is very sad but his mood improves when he is able to write her a letter. Media: Pencil and watercolor (Maurice Sendak) ( )

300L,GRL J,GL 2.1,AR 2.2,2 copies

300L,GRL J,GL 2.1,AR 2.2,2 copies