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"Baby Bear Baby Bear, What Do You See?" by Bill Jr. Martin

Author:

Bill Jr. Martin

Illustrator:

Eric Carle

Publisher:

Henry Holt and Company, 2007

Reviewed by:

Kristine Wildner, Holy Apostles School, New Berlin, WI

The final installment in the Carle/Martin collaborations, Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See? presents preschool children with a charming look at North American animals. Using precise, descriptive language, each animal is asked "What do you see?" Children will love the repetitive language and learning the names of new animals. After the first reading, many will enjoy recalling the sequence and predicting which animal comes next. Eric Carle's unique, vibrant collage artwork projects a realistic look at each animal in color, shape and action. Each two-page spread presents each animal on a white background as a single focal point, with the facial expressions of each animal projecting a sense of wonder as they gaze at the reader. Like the others in the series, the cover and endpapers are visually attractive, almost begging readers to read. This final book in a series that began in 1967 with Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? is a treasure to compete the series. The delightful ending closes the book with a simple review of our native animals. As a classroom read aloud, the distinct animal vocabulary interrupts the flow of the story. For this reason, the book is, perhaps, loved best by children snuggling on a parent's lap. Highly recommended for preschool-age children.