Bear's Bargain

Frank Asch is on my entering kindergartener's Summer Reading List and I (we: boy and girl; 3 and 5) can certainly understand why. His stories are gentle and cute and wonderfully illustrated. AND... this is one of his best. In this story Bear and Little Bird make a bargain. Bear will help Little Bird to get 'bigger', and in exchange Bear will be taught how to fly. There's a problem though. Despite a healthier and bigger meal plan with exercise, Bird doesn't get any bigger. So what will Bear do to fulfil his part of the bargain? Give up? Bear gives Little Bird a pumpkin seed and teaches him how to plant it and care for it. When the pumpkin fruits, Bear cleverly etches a picture of LB on the skin, so that when the pumpkin is finally huge and orange, LB *is* bigger (by proxy-LOL). [As a side note: I love that Asch draws pictures of the seed as is sprouts, grows roots, and changes from its false-leaves to real ones.] But then there is the problem of how Bear is going to fly. Give up? You'll have to read this delightful story of friendship and imagination. Five Stars. Don't care what the title is. This is a Great book filled with gentle, interesting content. Great Read-aloud. **Note: there are cute stories at the www.frankasch.com website read by the author. My kids love it.

Frank Asch is on my entering kindergartener's Summer Reading List and I (we: boy and girl; 3 and 5) can certainly understand why. His stories are gentle and cute and wonderfully illustrated. AND... this is one of his best. In this story Bear and Little Bird make a bargain. Bear will help Little Bird to get 'bigger', and in exchange Bear will be taught how to fly. There's a problem though. Despite a healthier and bigger meal plan with exercise, Bird doesn't get any bigger. So what will Bear do to fulfil his part of the bargain? Give up? Bear gives Little Bird a pumpkin seed and teaches him how to plant it and care for it. When the pumpkin fruits, Bear cleverly etches a picture of LB on the skin, so that when the pumpkin is finally huge and orange, LB *is* bigger (by proxy-LOL). [As a side note: I love that Asch draws pictures of the seed as is sprouts, grows roots, and changes from its false-leaves to real ones.] But then there is the problem of how Bear is going to fly. Give up? You'll have to read this delightful story of friendship and imagination. Five Stars. Great book filled with gentle, interesting content. **Note: there are cute stories at the www.frankasch.com website read by the author. My kids love it.

Bear, the protagonist of Frank Asch's Moonbear series, is back with his best friend, Little Bird. When Bear wishes to learn how to fly, Little Bird promises to show him how, if Bear will teach him how to be big. Bear cooks generous meals for Little Bird and teaches him to lift weights with the tiny barbells he has made, but Little Bird remains little. And no matter how carefully Bear follows Little Bird's instructions, he cannot learn to fly. The clever ways the two friends help each other fulfill these impossible dreams will satisfy readers of all ages. Lovingly written and beautifully illustrated, this book is a real treat. This book was previously released with the title Bear's Bargain.

Bear, the protagonist of Frank Asch's Moonbear series, is back with his best friend, Little Bird. When Bear wishes he could learn how to fly, Little Bird promises to show him how, if Bear will teach him how to be big. Bear cooks generous meals for Little Bird and teaches him to lift weights with the tiny barbells he has made, but Little Bird remains little. And no matter how carefully Bear follows Little Bird's instructions, he cannot learn to fly. The clever ways the two friends help each other fulfill these impossible dreams will satisfy readers of all ages. Lovingly written, beautifully illustrated, this book is a real treat.