Snowbears! Bears in the Snow by Shirley Parenteau

HERE'S A BRIGHT RED SLED

ON A SNOWY DAY.

What's it waiting for?

What's a sled for if not for four fuzzy little bears to park their keisters on and make a downhill run!

But their first attempt is a fourfold flop!

Four plump bear-y bottoms don't quite fit. On the way down, one by one, the bear whose rear is... well, in the rear slips off and plops into the snow. Yellow is the first to go, then Floppy. Finally Fuzzy slips off, and Calico hits the snow. Only the sled arrives at the foot of the hill.

They try going down in bear pairs, but that means that two of them are always cooling their heels in the snow. It seems that there's no way they can all go together. That is, until Big Brown Bear comes outside to see what is going on. Right away he knows how they all can go in the snow.

AND SUDDENLY, PLOP!

BIG BROWN BEAR DOES A BELLY FLOP!

Four little bears get the idea immediately and they all--hop on pop!

On Big Brown Bear's wide and furry back they all slide down the big hill together, laughing all the way, sliding to their hearts' content, until someone catches a whiff of something....

IS THAT HOT CHOCOLATE?

Of course it is, in Shirley Parenteau's latest in her Bears in Chairs series, Bears in the Snow (Bears on Chairs) (Candlewick Press, 2017), in a wintry mix of a snow story just right for young snow goers, a bear tale that will have preschoolers on snow watch so that their fun can begin. Parenteau's rhymes charm, and David Walker's merry, pastel and plushy toy-like little bears are as cute as can be. Walker's illustrations set his softly-rounded little subjects off to good advantage in centered, oval spot-art style as Parenteau's story builds suspense, and then dramatically switches to full-bleed, two-page spread when there's plenty of action on the pages. A winter treat for the eyes and ears to entice toddlers and preschoolers to hit the slopes, or at least dream of snowy days ahead.

Other terrific tales for tots by Parmenteau and Walker are Bears in Beds, Bears and a Birthday (Bears on Chairs), Bears in a Band (Bears on Chairs) and Bears in the Bath (Bears on Chairs), as well as the lead-off title itself, Bears on Chairs. (reviews here)

Just Jammin'! Bears in the Band by Shirley Parenteau and David Walker

MUSIC MAKERS

ARE ON THE CHAIRS.

IS THERE A BAND?

WHERE ARE THE BEARS?

The four chairs are lined up in a row, each one with a waiting instrument. But when will the concert begin?

Then in comes the band--Fuzzy, Yellow, Calico, and Floppy! Calico hugs his trumpet and tootles--Toot Toot! Fuzzy warms up by banging his cymbals--Klang Klong! Yellow tries out the string of bells--Ding-a-ling-ling!--and Floppy beats a quick Rom-pom-pom on his little snare drum.

Now it's time to strike up the band!

THE BEARS ALL PLAY

A NOISY SONG.

THEY DON'T CARE

IF THE NOTES ARE WRONG.

But over the "music", the little bears hear another sound.

SNORE!

It's Daddy! BIG BROWN BEAR!

OOPS! Big Brown Bear peers sleepily from under his blanket and grumpily asks what's going on out there! The "music" suddenly switches to silence.

Is this the end of the four little bears' jam session?

Not with Big Brown Bear taking the podium. Wielding a kitchen ladle as a bear-y big baton, he gives the downbeat for the band, in Shirley Parenteau's newest in her Bears In Chairs series, Bears in a Band (Bears on Chairs) (Candlewick Press, 2016). Parenteau's rhyming quatrains set the bouncy beat, as David Walker's exquisite pastel-toned tubby Teddies bounce out of their familiar chairs and march behind Dad to make music to their heart's content. Walker's plushy little bears are all curved lines with charmingly childlike body language, each figure delicately outlined in smudgy yellow and set mostly in spot-art style against white backgrounds, with occasional pastel double-page spreads. A perfect story book prompt for impromptu family or preschool music-making sessions!

A great pairing for this one are any of Parenteau's and Walker's books, Bears in Beds, (See review here), Bears on Chairs, Bears in the Snow (Bears on Chairs), and Bears and a Birthday (Bears on Chairs).

Move Over, Goldilocks! Bears in Beds by Shirley Parenteau

FIVE EMPTY BEDS
ARE WAITING THERE.
IT'S TIME TO SLEEP.
WHERE ARE THE BEARS?

It's almost bedtime, and Big Brown Bear is ready to curl up in his big warm, cozy bed. But first, like any parent, he's got to make sure the little ones are tucked in and drifting off to dreamland. Each of the four baby bears, Fuzzy, Yellow, Floppy, and Calico, turn in in their own inimitable ways, Big Brown Bear tucks them in and blows them a kiss, turns out the light, and finally hits the hay himself.

WHOOOOOSH! GOES A SOUND
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT!
BIG BROWN BEAR
WAKES UP IN A FRIGHT.

And the four little bears are wide awake in a trice. There are scary sounds outside as a stormy wind swirls around the house, crying and prying at the windows. One by one those four little beds are emptied as the little ones join Big Brown Bear in his big bed. Does Big Brown Bear growl at his cubs and make scarier noises than even the storm?

HE READS THEM A STORY
ABOUT THREE BEARS
AND A PESKY GIRL
WITH GOLDEN HAIR.

Those four personable little bears from Bears on Chairs are back in Shirley Parenteau's and David Walker's just-published Bears in Beds (Candlewick Press, 2012), in a bear-y warm and fuzzy bedtime adventure that ends properly, as all bedtime stories must, with four well-soothed little bears snoozing, and Papa finally getting some ZZZs as well.

Strike Up The Band! Play This Book by Jessica Young

TO START OUR SHOW WE NEED A BAND--

MAYBE YOU CAN LEND A HAND!

It's an invitation you can't turn down! But what does it take to make that sound?

It takes melody, harmony, and rhythm.

First, to move your feet, you've got to have that rhythmic beat: There's a snare drum, with two drum sticks, one for each hand.

RAT-A-TAT!

And to back it up, shake-shake-shake those two maracas!

CHICK CHICK CHICK!

But for a melody we need some instruments that can play a lot of notes:

There's the trombone, with his long slide. He can play fast and hot and slow and sweet!

BWAH! B-W-A-A-AH!

And to mellow out that brass, there's the sax:

DOO-BEE-DOO-BEE-DOO!

And don't forget the piano and guitar! They can do it all--melody, harmony, and rhythm! At the same time!

TINK TINK TINK!

STRUM, STRUM! STRUM WITH YOUR THUMB!

And for a little drama, to end with a smash, there're the cymbals! Give them a --

CRASH!

Kids are part of the show in Jessica Young's interactive introduction to musical instruments, Play This Book (Bloomsbury, 2018). Young's simple narrative builds a band, with kids busking along on every page. Daniel Wiseman's bright and busy illustrations back up this simple intro to some of the instruments that make music and kids will want to join in and take a bow as the author invites them to do at the end of the performance. Says School Library Journal, "Music-loving kids will go nuts for this interactive book. . . ."

For more interactive book fun, share this one with Young's earlier book, Pet This Book.

Or for preschool would-be musicians, pair this one with Shirley Parenteau's Bears in a Band (Bears on Chairs). (see review here)