  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 10/01/2013 PreS-Gr 3—Posing the question, "Can you eat like a bear?" this book follows a brown bear as it forages for food throughout the year. Emerging from hibernation in April, the animal sets out on its quest. Each month provides a different delicacy: crispy roots and a ground squirrel in July, juicy huckleberries in September, a stash of pinecones in October. All serve to fatten up the omnivorous creature as it prepares once again for hibernation. The short text is set in a clear, large font and that, coupled with the big, full-color, cut- and torn-paper collage illustrations, makes it a natural for sharing with a group. The mammals themselves are rendered by using handmade Mexican bark paper. Its rough nature gives them greater impact and dimension on the pages. The extensive end notes provide details about the diet of the brown bear, or Ursus artos, its threatened status, and current scientific studies. This additional information increases the usefulness of the title, making it a viable classroom and research tool. That, along with the beautiful art, makes this a first choice for most libraries.—Sara-Jo Lupo Sites, George F. Johnson Memorial Library, Endicott, NY - Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 11/01/2013 A grizzly bear emerges from hibernation and starts to eat. Month by month she drinks, digs, scratches, hunts, fishes, and forages, fueling up in anticipation of another winter. Come November she returns to her den, ready for the next seasonal sleep, with a couple of cubs joining her. Sayre tells the simple tale in colorful free verse in careful patterns, rich with vocabulary: “Find . . . / . . . a squirrel’s pinecone stash. / Nibble, shred, crunch and smash.” Jenkins fixes the action in the Rocky Mountains with his trademark cut- and torn-paper collage. Using a variety of materials, including handmade Mexican bark paper for the bears, he achieves a remarkable variety of line and texture, as crisp leaves and flowers contrast with fuzzy fur. This contrast is mirrored in the juxtaposition of expressive narration and careful pictorial depiction. An appended assortment of notes offers substantive information about the bears, their habitats, behaviors, and study. - Copyright 2013 Booklist. Loading...
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