Bear Is Awake!: An Alphabet Story

by Hannah E. Harrison

Overview

In this delightfully different alphabet book from the creator of Extraordinary Jane, a curious bear makes a new friend.

Suddenly "awake" in the middle of winter, a "big bear" explores a "cozy cabin," which Bear of course "enters excitedly." But the cabin isn't empty—a little girl lives there. So begins an unlikely friendship and an unexpected adventure as the girl attempts to figure out what a bear is supposed to be doing in the winter. (Hint: It's not eating pancakes or visiting the library!)

With her trademark humor and warmth, Hannah E. Harrison puts her own irresistible spin on the classic alphabet book. The result is a story families will treasure for years to come.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780399186660
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	11/26/2019
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	10.38(w) x 8.25(h) x 0.39(d)
Lexile:	NP (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Hannah Harrison is an award-winning illustrator whose first book, Extraordinary Jane, received three starred reviews and was a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year. She lives with her family in Oklahoma.

Editorial Reviews

A girl and a bear star in Harrison's tale that doubles as an alphabet book, letting even pre-readers follow the alphabetical story through the buoyant, expressive illustrations.

The New York Times Book Review - Maria Russo

★ 2019-07-28
Every letter of the alphabet is used—some more than once—in a plot involving a human child and a furry, brown bear about five times bigger.

A line of snow-laden conifers spreads across the back of the initial double-page spread. In the foreground of the recto, the bear sits in a cave, a dazed look on its face. The bottom of the page shows an upper- and lowercase letter A followed by the word "awake." The story continues with Bb and "big bear" on the next page and the bear's obvious goal, a "cozy cabin," across the gutter. Children will love the fact that the cabin's inhabitant is a young, pale-skinned child (with long, gold locks that cannot be a coincidence) who, despite an initial shriek of "eek!" as the bear "enter[s] excited," soon takes control of the situation. The cleverness and humor of the words are matched by art that is painterly, adorably sweet, and laugh-out-loud funny. The kid ties a ridiculous, yellow-knitted "hat" on the bear before marching it through town. People of all ages and racial presentations react to the bear as it responds to a snowman, the public "library," and the food "market." Since there are no sentences—only words—the book allows little ones to conjecture and comment. According to the jacket bio, this book was inspired by Helen Oxenbury's ABC of Things (1971). It is a fitting tribute.

A perfect a-bear-cedary. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews