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*Bear on a Bike* by Stella Blackstone, illustrated by Debbie Harter

 
Also written or illustrated by Stella Blackstone:

Alligator Alphabet

Bear about Town

Bear in Sunshine

An Island in the Sun

Cleo and Caspar

Cleo's Alphabet

 
Also illustrated by Debbie Harter:

Bear about Town

Bear in Sunshine

Thesaurus Rex

Bear on a Bike
by Stella Blackstone, illustrated by Debbie Harter
Baby-preschool 24 pages Barefoot Books March 2001 Board book    

The earliest of picture book duo Stella Blackstone and Debbie Harter's "Bear..." books, Bear on a Bike runs in essentially the same vein as its successors but also displays marked yet benign differences.

At the heart of Bear on a Bike lies, of course, Bear. But then "lies" is too passive a descriptor for what Bear does - he bikes, shops, rafts on a river, rides a train to the seaside, sails to a magical island, takes a carriage to dance at a castle ball, and flies a rocket into space. Unlike its spin-offs, though, this book features Bear as the only non-human in otherwise human occupations rather than being surrounded by his bear neighbors or enjoying himself alone outdoors.

And here he shares narrative time with a young boy who with his dog races after Bear to see where the big furry chap is off to next in a sort of call and response. "Where are you going, bear? Please wait for me!" the boy pleads over and over, answered each time by Bear, who waits for him to catch up - until the end of the story and that rocketship to space.

Debbie Harter's illustrations are as colorful and vibrant in Bear on a Bike as ever, though certain aspects (particularly the depictions of people) have a less chunky feel than in later books. All in all, this grandaddy of the "Bear" books is an enjoyable journey of the imagination juxtaposing the familiar and the fantastic.


Children's board book reviews for babies and toddlers

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  Sharon Schulz-Elsing/2006 for curled up with a good kid's book  






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