Orange Pear Apple Bear

The perfect picture-book selection for toddlers, Emily Gravett's Orange Pear Apple Bear takes four words (the ones in the title), some adorable illustrations, and an innovative approach to storytelling, and delivers a book that is both informative and entertaining. Without ever seeming to teach, the narrative demonstrates how meaning can change, simply by switching around the order of the words, and the punctuation used to separate them. Thus "Orange Bear" gives us an orange bear, but "Orange, Bear," gives us our ursine friend consuming a citrus treat.

The 'lesson' here is conveyed simply, without any fanfare - young readers probably won't even notice that there is a lesson - making it the ideal concept book for the very young. The show more artwork (watercolor, I think?) is cute - I loved the apple and pear-shaped bear butts! (because obviously toddlers aren't the only ones at the right maturity level for this one) - and the painting to page ratio isn't overwhelming (lots of blank page), giving this a very 'clean' and simple feeling. Recommended to anyone looking for creative picture-books for the younger set, and to Emily Gravett fans. show less

Originally published as a picture book, “Orange Pear Apple Bear” works well as a board book. Why? Just like the fruit atop the bear’s head in the cover illustration, the book’s brilliance is pulling off a balancing act between striking simplicity and subtle complexity. There are only five distinct words throughout the book: the four in the title, and one surprise addition for the ending. The scrumptious illustrations, done in watercolor and wonderfully brought to life with pen-and-ink outlines, are also few (and, as such, precious). The first two spreads, for example, introduce each one of the four title words with a single whimsical representation. Then, some elements seem to go missing as Gravett plays with the experience of show more hearing versus seeing. For example, “orange” morphs from a fruit to the color of the bear. The word is still there, but the game becomes finding it in the picture. Younger readers will find it reassuring that these puzzles are followed by spreads in which all four elements return in an easily recognizable way. The last four spreads follow a simple plot perfect for the attention span of toddlers. Other than this final progression, much of the book is made up of self-contained vignettes that could be savored in any order — and children will surely want to linger longer on their favorites. show less

With only five words, this book explores the concept of categories and qualities while telling a story about a bear playing with some fruit.

The art in this book is amazing. Each lovingly rendered fruit is just beautiful, and the bear, though silent, has a lot of personality. As for the text -- it's incredible how much slight variations in order and position of the same words can convey. There's a big difference between "apple, bear" and "apple bear" -- the latter being a bear that looks an awful lot like an apple. This book is a gem.

Great book, take a look!

OR

Sparse text, read it next.

OR

Clever story, I adore thee.

I debated attempting to let my five word reviews stand on their own just as Emily Gravett uses just five words to create her entertaining picture book Orange Pear Apple Bear. In the end I decided that she’s a bit more successful at brevity than I am, so I am employing an uncounted number of more words to praise this story.

Only four nouns are used to comprise the sum total of words and illustrations of this book. Text and illustrations match up perfectly. If the text says orange, then the page displays an orange. If the text says orange, pear, apple, bear, then all four are pictured on the page. The charm of this simplicity is in the way that the objects show more are arranged on the page in order to tell a complete, completely quirky, and completely humorous story.

What begins with an orange, a pear, and an apple ends with a big satisfied bear lumbering away from two cores and a rind. On the journey from beginning to end, Gravett treats readers to some unusual (borderline fantastic) watercolor compilations. The ursine star displays his skills as he juggles the fruit and balances the fruit on his nose. The illustrations’ color schemes are equally playful, and they are set off to their best advantage against white backgrounds. For instance, when the text reads “Orange pear, apple bear” the pear becomes bright orange and the bear takes on a greenish tint. As mentioned, it all ends quite badly for the fruit and quite well for the bear as the bear consumes each piece and then trots off.

Orange Pear Apple Bear is so simple that even pre-readers will be able memorize the text and find themselves “reading” before they know it. Since the words and pictures align so well, it’s a perfect text to engage pre-readers and to teach them how the letters/words on the page fit together to create meaning. Orange Pear Apple Bear is an ideal book for showing kids that reading can be delightful and not a chore. show less

I giggled with every page turn. This book is witty, fun, and so perfectly illustrated. This looks like -- what? watercolor and ink? At any rate, the rich, muted, bleeding colors work well with lines that are both sketchy and clear against large, white backdrops. She gets great expressions out of the bear with very little effort, and I love the way that this story could be appreciated equally, and for different reasons, by todders, preschoolers, school-aged kids, and even teens and adults. It's an exploration of grammar, punction, and diction as much as it is of concept. Lovely!

By juggling only four nouns and a few commas you can tell a surprisingly rich story, in this case of a charming bear who eats some fresh fruit. The spare text lends itself to reading aloud and emphasizing the nuanced rhythm and intonation represented by the punctuation. The illustrations are also spare: softly hued and loosely brushed watercolors pop against a white background that nicely sets a stage for the bear's performance. Plenty to chat about with the story time audience in terms of colors, shapes, and actions.

This book would be great for beginner readers. The words roll right off the tongue with the rhymes and repetition throughout the book. The book has five words so it is simple yet fun. This would be a good mentor book with rhyming, and repetition. I love how the author started with and one word on several of the pages, then moved onto two words on a page, then three words, and eventually four words. The author then goes back down and ends the book the word there! We see that's when the bear eats all the fruit and disappears!