A Visitor for Bear

The first of four stories to feature this ursine/murine duo - subsequent titles include A Birthday for Bear, A Bedtime for Bear, and the forthcoming The Sniffles for Bear - this charming picture-book follows the slightly less-than-hospitable Bear, who does not want guests (under any circumstances), and his dealings with a "small and gray and bright-eyed" mouse-visitor who doesn't know how to take a hint. Who will win out, in their contest of wills: the irritable bear, or the insouciant mouse...?

A Visitor for Bear was an unexpected delight, on my train-ride into the city this morning! Mouse's antics, in persistently popping up, and Bear's increasingly incredulous frustration, had me giggling. The heart-warming ending, while perhaps not show more so surprising, was quite satisfying, and the watercolor, ink and gouache illustrations were just adorable! All in all, a sweet little book about an odd couple who wind up friends - one I recommend to unhappy little bears and overly persistent mice, as well as to children who like to read about them. show less

A bear does NOT want visitors, but a persistent little mouse keeps coming over until the bear relents. He realizes maybe he actually does want visitors!

I try not to think about the part where the bear repeatedly sets a boundary and the mouse spends the whole book violating it until the bear gives up. Oops! It’s very cute in the end, though. My niece loves looking for the mouse on every page. Also the bear has a real midwestern hoosier cabinet, which is such a cute touch.

Curmudgeonly Bear and irrepressibly cheery Mouse stole my heart in the first few pages of this wittily written and illustrated picture book. I love reading this aloud to my elementary students, using a gruff voice for Bear and a squeaky one for Mouse (having recently met Bonny Becker, I will try her suggestion of using a British accent for Mouse!). I have also created a "NO VISITORS ALLOWED" sign to use as a prop to accompany telling, giving it to students to hold up when they see it in the story. Words and illustrations match perfectly to illuminate the character's personalities, expressions and moods. Witness Bear's expression of surprise, feet off the floor, mouth agape, eyes wide, when he discovers Mouse in his china cabinet. Or the show more beautiful, old word, "BEGONE!" paired with the view of Bear's epiglottis. I appreciate Becker's use of unusual and high-level vocabulary, including "Intolerable! Insufferable!" as Mouse irritates Bear beyond Bear's patience. I also love the repetitive phrase for Mouse -- "small and gray and bright-eyed" -- as it emphasizes how different he is from the large and brown and small-eyed Bear. By the end, though, one sees the change in Bear's eyes and demeanor as he realizes he has a friend in his small companion. I'm so glad there are three more Bear and Mouse books, with more to come! show less

A Visitor for Bear is my favorite picture book of 2008. The illustrations are homey and comforting and demand repeated readings.They also supply a huge amount of the characterization to a stubborn but kind hearted bear and his persistent new friend. A classic in the making.

I found this book to be very cute yet meaningful for children of younger ages developing their reading repertoire. The illustration throughout the text keeps readers actively engaged in what the author is trying to say. The author also does a great job of placing the audience in the shoes of Bear and allows you to feel his annoyance with the Mouse when he just wants to be left alone. At the end of the day, Becky Bonny ties in the concept that sometimes having company isn't always such a bad thing perfectly.

Filled with slapstick humor that begs to be read out aloud by someone with deft comicality, this is one of my very favorite picture books ever!
Grumpy Bear and bright-eyed Mouse, and how they become fast friends in the end is a sweet story peppered liberally with humor.

Bear does not like visitors--so much, that he had a sign on his door that said "No visitors allowed," One day, he heard a tippy-tap on his door, and found mouse standing there at his door. He turned him away, referencing the no visitor sign, and went to eat his breakfast. But when he went to get his bowl, the mouse was there in his cupboard! Each time he went to get something for his breakfast, who was there, but the little gray mouse! Then, after so many visits, the bear could finally get back to his breakfast, all alone. That is until...the mouse appeared in the tea kettle! Bear finally gives up his hunt for mouse and agreed to having cheese and tea by the fire together. The fire was nice and warm and crackled in their silence--but show more Bear was feeling a sense of belonging he never had before. He was so happy to hear the mouse call his fire lovely, that he began to show him his headstand and tell him a joke, and he felt so happy to have someone with him. But then, the mouse had to be on his way, and Bear was so upset. He begged the mouse to stay, and he said he had to keep his promise of no visitors allowed. Bear threw the sign, tore it up, and said, "That's for salesmen. Not for friends." Then, Mouse realized they were friends, and went back inside to enjoy time with his friend, Bear. Scholastic Book Wizard has identified this as a K-2 level story. This book could be used as a prediction book, as I can ask, "...and what do you think he found when he opened the fridge?" and students will answer, "the mouse!" In addition to being predictive, of course this story is a perfect read-aloud book. This was even recognized by the E.B. White Read Aloud Award, which I think is such a neat award I had never heard of! This story is sure to make students feel engaged, acknowledged, and excite them as we share the story together aloud. We could also have discussions about friends, how they make us feel, and how to let others in when we are having a hard time or feeling lonely. This story is such a sweet 5/5 story that I will absolutely share with my students so that they can feel the meaning of friendship and never have to feel lonely when they are in my classroom. show less