4 April 2012 NO BEARS by Meg McKinlay and Leila Rudge, ill., Candlewick, March 2012, 32p., ISBN: 978-0-7636-5890-8

“Hi!  I’m Ella and this is my book.

You can tell it’s a book because there are words like Once upon a time

and Happily ever after

and The END.

I’m in charge of this book, so I know everything about it --

including the most important thing, which is that there are NO BEARS in it.”

I cannot remember his name, but as I read NO BEARS to myself, I am so clearly hearing in my head the loud voice of a nasally three year-old boy who was my preschool student two decades ago:

“BUT THERE’S A BEAR RIGHT THERE!!!”

I can just imagine him suddenly standing up in circle, and pointing accusingly at the book to make sure that all the kids see what the little girl narrator of the story (Ella) is obviously missing. 

“I’m tired of bears.  Every time you read a book, it’s just BEARS BEARS BEARS -- horrible furry bears slurping honey in awful little caves.

You don’t need BEARS for a book.”

Yes, they are going to get such a kick out of this one -- a book-within-a-book story that is filled full of no bears.

“You need pretty things.

You need fairies and princesses

and castles.

You need funny things,

exciting things,

and scary things--

maybe a monster

or a giant or something.”

In addition to no bears, we find visual allusions to a variety of tales young audiences will all know, such as Little Red Riding Hood, the Three Little Pigs, and The Owl and the Pussycat.

NO BEARS is a very fun read and a visual delight.  (And in addition to it’s being filled with no bears, keep a watch for who is peeking out from behind the barcode on the back of the book’s dust jacket.)

Richie Partington, MLIS
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