Baby Bear's Turn: Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr., and Eric Carle

For the fortieth anniversary of their ground-breaking Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Bill Martin, Jr., and Eric Carle have collaborated on their fourth and final book in what is now a classic series of books for the very young, Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See?

Following the familiar double-page format featuring the question, followed by double spread picturing the answer, the mother bear patiently asks Baby to tell her what he sees, and he responds with a litany of familiar North American wild animals:

"Baby Bear, Baby Bear, what do you see?"

"I see a striped skunk strutting by me...."

In addition to the strutting skunk, there is a red fox slipping by, a flying squirrel gliding by, a mountain goat climbing by, and a blue heron flying by. In the sequence he also sees a prairie dog, a mule deer, a rattlesnake, and a screech owl hooting by as Baby Bear returns to look at Mama Bear, who is lovingly looking at him.

The familiar rhythmic cadence of the text lilts its way through the beautiful collage illustrations of Eric Carle, set against the bright white of the pages. It's a loving, cozy, full-circle conclusion to this series, born out of the I-can-read movement of the 1960's and flowering naturally in the warm light of end-of-century illustrative art.

Well done, Bill and Eric. And thanks.