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Reviewed by:
  • Share, Big Bear, Share! by Maureen Wright
  • Sarah Sahn
Wright, Maureen Share, Big Bear, Share!; illus. by Will Hillenbrand. Two Lions, 2017 [32p]
ISBN 978-1-5039-5100-6 $17.99
Reviewed from galleys         R 2-4 yrs

Big Bear can't wait to dig into his pail of freshly picked berries, which he keeps all to himself as his smaller critter friends look on longingly. The wise old oak tree admonishes Bear to share, but Bear keeps misunderstanding: is the tree telling him to comb his hair? Return to his lair? Or perhaps to give someone a scare? The simple rhyming text will give young listeners plenty of giggles, and the repetition offers opportunities for call and response, making for a solid readaloud. Hillenbrand's illustrations are the real attraction here, though: full-bleed forest landscapes in pale, textured washes of green and blue make an inviting setting for Bear with his giant silver pail of lush berries and the birds, rabbits, deer, and mice that gather around him, hoping he'll share. The oak tree's increasingly exasperated expressions lend humor, and poor Bear's confused, berry-stained efforts to do as he's asked make him wholly sympathetic. The lesson on sharing is a little heavy-handed, but the warmth and charm of the illustrations make up for it; children will want to linger over the final pages with Bear and his friends sprawled in the grass under the oak tree eating berries and reading together (and will no doubt want to share some blueberries, too).

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