Bear & Hare Go Fishing

PreS-Gr 2—Although surprisingly simple at first glance, this title is filled to the gills with charm and cleverness. The scant 32-word text is mostly concerned with Bear. He catches some odd items with his rod and reel as patiently dismayed Hare looks on. However, it is Hare's boredom-born daisy chains that end up pulling a giant fish across the gutter into clear orange-gold watercolor. Cleanly composed and limited to just a couple words per page, the spareness of the text highlights the true power of the book—the illustrations. Rich characters come to life through Gravett's carefully expressive lines. Despite a potentially static situation, Bear and Hare sprawl across the pages in a wonderful variety of comic positions. The book design is also smart; the backdrop has been left either white or blue, the blue vaguely indicating the lake on which they are fishing. Additionally, the subtle shading of an underwater fish gently foreshadows the arrival of Hare's prize. Even the copyright information is cast as a delightful string of fishing line unwinding from Bear's pole to the delicate blue fish in Hare's grateful net. The quantity of words and their repetitiveness even recommend this book as an easy reader. Furthermore, the counterpoint between the visual story and the text is packed with a high interest punch for bonus appeal. This book will delight a wide range of readers; it should shift with ease from the limited attention span of a toddler to an inquisitive second grader carefully poring over the pictures.