Oh No, Bear!

Bear has woken up both hungry and certain that there is something important that he needs to do today. Putting the latter to one side, he focuses on finding a little something to fill his stomach. Luckily for him, his nose is particularly good at sniffing out delicious treats. The inviting waft of smells lures Bear out of his den and through the woods to where his friends rabbit, squirrel and beaver are collecting their own favourite foods. Despite doing his best to resist their kind offer of trying the foods, Bear finds the temptation far too great ....Oh No, Bear! This is a very sweet story with many underlying themes which will provide good discussions between not only parent and child but also between classes of children. Joanne Partis has created a bright and visually engaging narrative with plenty to see on each double page spread. These wonderful illustrations further enhance the discussion opportunities. Joanne's choice of vocabulary is perfect for the target audience as she makes the text seamlessly flow from page to page. A very enjoyable read and one that younger children would love too. As a teacher, I found myself finding lots of opportunities for discussions arise from the underlying theme of understanding the needs and emotions of others. This text would be a perfect introduction to a PHSE lesson on this topic and would allow children to initially make reference to the character of Bear before making connections to their own experiences. The wonderful illustrations would also be used well during an inference based lesson during guided reading due to the clear non verbal clues shown. Once again, a really enjoyable read and one that I shall be sharing with my EYFS colleagues. 32 Pages / 3 -6 years / Reviewed by Kyle Matravers, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 3+