  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 10/01/2012 PreS-Gr 2—Little Cub and Old Bear are back in a tale that is part prequel, part adoption story, and all heart. Little Cub is sad and lonely. He has no one to take care of him, teach him how to catch fish, help him get honey, and be with him during the long dark nights. Old Bear is sad and lonely. He has no one to teach, share his food with, and keep him company during the long dark nights. One day he finds Little Cub whimpering and alone. "'Who do you belong to?' asked Old Bear./'I belong to me…But maybe I could belong to you.'" And of course Old Bear names him, takes him home, feeds him, puts him to bed, tells him a story, and the rest is history. The charming pencil and gouache illustrations capture the very essence of bears, while still rendering them sweet and appealing. The backgrounds are stark white with detailed, realistic trees, rocks, grasses, bees, and more. The patterned text, with alternating pages describing the cub's concerns, followed by the related concerns of Old Bear, works beautifully. The wording is descriptive, economical, and deceptively simple. Dunrea packs a huge amount of emotion into his limited text and engaging art. A delight for fans of these characters and a lovely next step for children ready to move beyond the "Gossie and Friends" series (Houghton Harcourt).—Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT - Copyright 2012 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 11/01/2012 In this companion to Old Bear and His Cub (2010), Dunrea tells a story familiar to children’s literature: a couple of lonely souls find each other. Little Cub is just a wee bear who does “not like the dark nights” in the forest because there is “no one to take care of him.” Old Bear—with fantastically unruly eyebrows and tufts sprouting from his ears—also doesn’t like dark nights and being alone. And while Old Bear can fish, he has nobody to share his catch with, while poor Little Cub’s belly is empty. When the two finally meet, Old Bear asks, “Who do you belong to?” and Little Cub responds, “I belong to me,” followed by, “But maybe I can belong to you.” Sweetness. The book’s appropriately soothing layout features text set on white pages on the left-hand side (with large type, ideal for new readers) and simple full-page pencil-and-gouache autumnal illustrations on the right. An understated, loving vehicle for discussing how two people, two bears, or two anythings can form a perfect pair. - Copyright 2012 Booklist. Bulletin for the Center... - 01/01/2013 A solitary little bear cub is often hungry and sad until he is meets Old Bear: “‘Who do you belong to?’ asked Old Bear. ‘I belong to me,’ said the little cub. ‘But maybe I could belong to you.’” Lonely himself, Old Bear decides to take the cub home, tucks him into bed, and sends him off to sleep with a story. Dunrea keeps the narrative of this prequel to Dunrea’s Old Bear and His Cub (BCCB 12/10) stalwartly concise and forthright, and the genuine sadness of the little cub’s loneliness makes the happy ending deeply satisfying rather than eye-rollingly sentimental. Children will easily relate to the little cub’s need to be cared for, even if they’ve never experienced being parentless, and childlike aspects of Little Cub’s character (he wants to eat the honey in a tree but is afraid of being stung by the bees, he gets extra chatty at bedtime) create further opportunities for kids to identify with him. The pencil and gouache illustrations are rich with autumnal color, and each scene is kept in artful balance by lots of clean, white space both within the illustrated page and on the facing page of text. Small, round-bellied Little Cub and hefty, bristly Old Bear are attractive visual complements, and the modest coziness of Old Bear’s home and possessions is made all the cozier by the chilly-looking sylvan scenery. Besides being shared along with its companion title, this might also be paired with Moore’s A House in the Woods (BCCB 12/11) or even Rylant’s Mr. Putter and Tabby series, or simply read as a reassuring bedtime book. JH - Copyright 2013 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. Loading...
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