Destined to become a contemporary classic, this book has spare text and sweet illustrations but contains only five words: apple, pear, orange, bear—and there. Emily Gravett creates clever variations on this theme by rearranging the words—on one spread, a brown bear juggles an orange, apple, and pear; on another spread, there is an orange-colored apple and a pear-shaped bear. Simple and compelling, children will enjoy reading this book over and over again as they learn many different concepts.
— Sunday Times, London
Gravett, who won the Kate Greenaway Medal for Wolves, has another winner here. Using just the four words in the title in various combinations (plus a fifth word for a punchline), she ingeniously chronicles a big friendly bear's encounter with some fresh produce. Some of the vignettes are semi-reality based: the bear juggles the fruit ("Apple, bear, orange, pear") and balances all three pieces on his nose ("Orange, pear, apple, bear"). But other spreads are thoroughly fanciful: in one, Gravett tints the pear bright orange, and renders the dubious-looking bear in the green and blush hues of a Granny Smith apple ("Orange pear/ Apple bear"). The ursine hero later makes a quick meal of each fruit ("Pear, bear") and trots off into the sunset to the sound of the satisfactory punchline: "There!" Gravett sets her simple, almost iconic watercolor images against crisp white backgrounds. The fruit looks good enough to eat, and the bear, who clearly relishes his moment in the spotlight, is a winning performer. Ages 1-4. (May)
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Posted July 14, 2012
What a wonderful book! In just five words and lovely, lively pictures, Emily Gravett captures the reader's attention as orange, pear, apple and bear are imaginatively recombined and rearranged. There!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Before Bear has a fruity snack, he has a little imaginative playtime. Readers get the pleasure of sharing in the fun as Orange, Pear, Apple, and Bear transform into something slightly different. Pay attention, or you might miss it.
This book is simple, yet entertaining. It is amazing what Emily Gravett accomplishes with five little words. The words are simple. The art is simple. And the book is simply clever. Although on the surface, it all seems simple, in some ways there is nothing simple about it. This book is fun to look at and read with a young child. It is also a perfect `outside the box' aid in helping children who are learning to read or for those working on learning shapes and colors. In some cases, "Orange Pear Apple Bear" might even offer the added bonus of motivating children to eat more fruit.
Anonymous
Posted July 14, 2012
No text was provided for this review.
Overview
Destined to become a contemporary classic, this book has spare text and sweet illustrations but contains only five words: apple, pear, orange, bear—and there. Emily Gravett creates clever variations on this theme by rearranging the words—on one spread, a brown bear juggles an orange, apple, and pear; on another spread, there is an orange-colored apple and a pear-shaped bear. Simple and compelling, children will enjoy reading this book over and over again as they learn many ...