Ciara Gavin

Admiring the elephants one day with his friend Clive, Randal the otter decided he wanted to be an elephant instead. Setting out to make his dream a reality, he joined the local elephant herd, sending letters home to his friends at the pond. Eventually, his fellow otters set out to visit him, only to find that he had returned home while they were away. It turns out that being an otter was best. Or was it...?

A sweet story of exploring different ways of being, and figuring out who you are and show more where you belong, Randal the Elephant is the fourth picture-book from Irish author/illustrator Ciara Gavin, following upon her stories about Bear. I enjoyed the gentle narrative, with its message of acceptance and support, and found the artwork (watercolor, I believe?) appealing. It helps, of course, that I'm fond of both otters and elephants! Recommended to young animal lovers, and to anyone looking for children's stories about identity and belonging. show less

In Bear Like Jam, Bear discovers what Jam is for the first time. Bear didn't realize what he had been missing until he had Jam. But soon, Jam began to be the only thing Bear wanted to eat. Mama Duck told Bear that he needs a balanced diet in order to stay healthy. Bear refused to eat his vegetables unless he had Jam. Mama Duck struggled with getting bear to eat anything else besides Jam. This story relates closely with young children who get fixated on certain foods and don't want to try show more anything new. This book is a great parenting tool to help children find fun ways to eat their vegetables and show them that, Bear too, loves his sweets, but has to balance his diet as well. show less

"Bear is supposed to sleep through the winter, but he doesn't want to miss out on any of the fun. Fortunately, Mama Duck comes up with a plan that will help everyone have the perfect winter"--

sweet and ever so slightly bizarre -- it works and works well.