On NO, BEAR! by Joanne Partis

Everyone needs a go-to funny book on their shelf and this bright yellow beauty is brilliant!

When Bear wakes up one chilly morning he knows he has something important to do but he can’t quite remember what it is. Distracted by his rumbling tummy, he pops on his winter coat and follows a delicious smell through the forest.

He soon stumbles upon his friend Rabbit who is busy digging up lots of yummy carrots. He helps himself to a tiny nibble but accidentally eats every carrot in Rabbit’s pile! The same happens with Squirrel’s big basket of acorns and then again with Beaver’s fish.

Feeling a little ashamed he plods back to his cave, worried that all of his woodland pals will be mad at him. What he doesn’t realise is that inadvertently he has been a big help.  We can see from the pictures that his clumsy retreat from the scene of each ‘crime’ has resulted in him single-handedly harvesting all of the remaining food for his friends, meaning he has actually saved them lots of work!

When he gets home he discovers he can’t fit through his front door and finds himself well and truly stuck. Feeling very sorry for himself and more than a little sleepy he starts to cry, but then he hears a noise in the woods. Could it be his friends come to say thank you before he settles down for hibernation? (Yes – that’s the thing he forgot he had to do!)

Ivy finds this book laugh out loud funny and it has also taught her a lot about hibernation and why animals need to eat a lot of food before they settle down for their long sleep.

As a parent, I love the way the animals are illustrated because their faces show a wide range of emotions in a way that is really relatable for a small child. The look of bliss on Bear’s face when he tucks in to a carrot is a real joy but we also get to see his confusion, hurt and sadness when things don’t quite go as planned.

It also teaches a great lesson about friendship, forgiveness and being there for each other in times of need.

Buy it now: https://amzn.to/2nNRZnO

Disclosure: The publisher provided us with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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