Bear Needs Help

by Sarah S. Brannen, Sarah S. Brannen (Illustrator)

Overview

With one of his shoes untied, and all of the animals too scared to help, what's Bear going to do? The surprisingly clever answer will make kids -- and parents -- laugh. A perfect read-aloud.

A lumbering little polar bear has one shoe untied, and he needs some help! Sadly for him, though, the other animals are all too scared of him: the lemmings, rabbits, and seals all run away as he approaches them for assistance. What's Bear going to do? Luckily, two plucky birds are more than happy to help out and offer advice -- though probably not quite in the way that readers anticipate.

In this sweet and funny book about asking for help (and receiving it), expectations are flipped in a simple but clever way.

Praise for Bear Needs Help:

A Junior Library Guild selection!

"Laced with humor and . . . decipherable in more ways than one." --Kirkus Reviews

"The silliness will likely win the day and earn a few giggles . . . Use this to bring some surprising goofiness to a bear-themed or winter-themed storytime." --BCCB

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780525516514
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	01/22/2019
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
Lexile:	210L (what's this?)
File size:	179 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Sarah S. Brannen (www.sarahbrannen.com) is the award-winning illustrator of nearly twenty books for children. She lives in Massachusetts and is pretty good at tying her own shoes. Follow her on Twitter @SarahBrannen and on Instagram @SarahSBrannen.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Bear Needs Help:

A Junior Library Guild selection!

"Laced with humor and . . . decipherable in more ways than one." —Kirkus Reviews

"The silliness will likely win the day and earn a few giggles . . . Use this to bring some surprising goofiness to a bear-themed or winter-themed storytime." —BCCB

From the Publisher

04/01/2019

PreS-K-What is a bear to do when his shoelaces are untied? In this charming picture book, a polar bear struggles with this very question. On the opening spread, a polar bear is shown sitting with a bright red sneaker on each foot, one of which are untied. He tries approaching multiple groups on animals like seals and hares, but everyone flops or hops away. Finally, two white birds arrive to help. "Shoelaces again?" they ask, and once Bear has confirmed his plight, they help him untie the other shoes. Once he has all of his shoes off he dives into the water, only to be interrupted by an "Excuse me," while the bottom half of a brown-haired creature with untied yellow shoes stands by the water. The extremely spars text and vivid watercolor illustrations make this a perfect book for toddlers and preschoolers in group settings and one-on-one. Children will enjoy explaining why the animals are running away from the bear and guessing at why the bear needs help. VERDICT A great addition to libraries who are looking to grow their storytime collection or have a need for more silly animal books.-Brooke Newberry, Winding Rivers Library System, West Salem, WI

School Library Journal

2018-10-28

Even apex predators need help with their shoes sometimes.

Brannen plays a sly joke with readers' expectations. Wandering over broad, flat Arctic scenes, a polar bear in four red sneakers, one untied, gingerly approaches in turn a herd of seals, a drove of Arctic hares, and a colony of lemmings. Understandably, all flee in panic before the bear can get out much more than "Excuse me…." On the other hand, the situation is evidently familiar to two ptarmigans who waddle up. "Shoelaces again?" "Yup." The birds bend down—but rather than retie the loose shoe, they untie the other three. Off gambols the barefoot bear: "Thank you!" "He really needs to learn to do that himself," remarks one. The author tells the tale in dialogue so spare that several spreads remain wordless, brushing a sometimes-deceptive sense of serenity over events by filling skies, seas, ice fields, and the big, simply drawn animal figures with subtle flushes of transparent color. Expressions are comically anthropomorphic throughout. Leaving audiences the option to read the story as metaphorical or as just a comically surreal episode, she not only makes no effort to explain the shoes, but actually trots in a likewise-shod second bear at the end. (Go figure: Maybe there was a sale.)

Laced with humor and, despite its minimalistic air, decipherable in more ways than one. (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews