FICTION

The Bear Went over the Mountain

Holiday House. Nov. 2020. 32p. Tr $18.99. ISBN 9780823446537.
COPY ISBN
PreS-Gr 1–Even preschoolers know that the bear went over the mountain to see what he could see. In Cabrera’s exuberant version, the bear gets stuck in a tree, attracting a hare who hops over the mountain to see where the bear can be, and then a fox dances over the mountain to join them, and so on, until a small child creeps up the steps to bed, joining all the animals in the song for slumber. It’s a simple conceit but amplified for rousing story hours before that calm final scene, when the child and toy animals are all under the covers. This is a glorious answer to the question behind “to see what he could see,” and gives children many more choruses and opportunities for practicing vocabulary.
VERDICT Antic, lovable scenes of smiling creatures and verses that quickly become familiar guarantee this a spot on most shelves.

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