Review: Where, Oh Where, Is Baby Bear? by Ashley Wolff

WHERE, OH WHERE, IS BABY BEAR?

by Ashley Wolff

Beach Lane Books

Picture Book

32 pages 

ages 4 and up

Baby Bear is back in this cozy, seek-and-find companion to the celebrated Baby Bear Sees Blue and Baby Bear Counts One.

When Mama and Baby Bear go out to look for food one night, curious Baby Bear wants to wander and explore. Each time his Mama Bear calls for him, Baby Bear turns up in a different place. Where, oh where, could Baby Bear be?

MY TIDBITS

This is one of those books, which is sure to become a favorite.

Baby Bear follows Mama out of the cave to search for food, but the outdoors is so exciting. His curiosity has him peering behind trees, boulders and many other places where Mama can't immediately see him. Each time, she calls, 'Where, oh where, is Baby Bear?' and each page, turns to a fun game of hide-and-go-seek.

Young listeners/readers love to play peek-a-boo or hide-and-go-seek, and this book allows them to dive into that fun. Baby Bear is quite the character as he investigates the best hiding corners. Young listeners/readers will enjoy seeking him out and announcing exactly where that bear has gone off to. It's interactive and draws kids into a game they love to play themselves.

But this isn't only a fun game. While each spread turns into a seeking exercise, it also portrays the life of a bear. Subtly, young listeners/readers discover Baby Bear's habitat and learn what exactly bears love to munch on. The illustration bring the landscape to life, while incorporating a lovely dose of fun. Near the end of the tale, the journey of Baby Bear and Mama is mapped out on their return trip to the cave. This allows kids to test their memories and see if they can remember all the places Baby Bear visited.

Summed up, this is a cute, fun, yet simple read which is sure to lure young listeners/readers in and have them playing along again and again and again.

And here she is. . .

Ashley Wolff is the author/illustrator of more than sixty books for children, including Block City by Robert Louis Stevenson, Baby Beluga by Raffi, the modern-classic Miss Bindergarten series by Joseph Slate, and her own celebrated Baby Bear Sees Blue and Baby Bear Counts One. She lives in Vermont. Visit her at AshleyWolff.com.