Koala Is Not a Bear

by Kristin L. Gray, Rachel McAlister (Illustrator)

Overview

Where does Koala belong? Find out, in this sweet story of friendship and family—with fun facts about marsupials thrown in.
 
It's Koala's first day at camp, and she thinks she's found her place in the Bear Cabin—until know-it-all Kangaroo comes along and tells Koala in no uncertain terms that she is not a bear. Koala points out all the ways in which she resembles her new friend, Grizzly, but Kangaroo just isn't buying it. As Koala tries to find her place, alert readers will recognize clues about where Koala belongs. Using humor and fun illustrations, this engaging story will reel kids in and leave them with a satisfying ending.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781454927457
Publisher:	Union Square Kids
Publication date:	05/07/2019
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	357,862
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	480L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Kristin L. Gray’s first novel, Vilonia Beebe Takes Charge, was a 2018 Bank Street Best Children’s Book. Koala Is Not a Bear is her first picture book. She lives in northwest AR with her family and several pets. Visit her online at kristinlgray.com and on Twitter @kristinlgray. 

Rachel McAlister studied Visual Development at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, where she also developed a love for illustrating children’s books. She lives in Los Angeles with her two cats.

Editorial Reviews

06/07/2019

K-Gr 2-Koala is off to camp and is excited and a little worried about being away from her family for the first time. When she arrives, she is unsure which cabin she belongs in. All of the other animals are bunked with others that are like them. Finally Grizzly Bear invites her to bear cabin, but "know-it-all" Kangaroo has quite a lot to say about that. Kangaroo insists that Koala is not part of the bear family, even though she appears to have many similarities. With each fact that Kangaroo throws at her, Koala become more and more unsure where she belongs. When Koala turns to a picture of her family for solace, Kangaroo suddenly realizes that she and Koala have many of the same family members. In the end, Kangaroo decides to be less bossy and more welcoming to her cousin as they prepare to share the marsupial cabin. The end notes of this book give a few facts about koalas and why they are called bears but are actually part of the marsupial family. The illustrations are bright and cartoonish, with high child appeal. VERDICT A fun story for reading aloud, this book is a solid general purchase for primary grade collections.-Jasmine L. Precopio, Fox Chapel Area School District, Pittsburgh

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