The Three Bears

I got this book when my son was 13 months. He loved it and now that he is 18 months he still does. the colors are bright and different in all the pages, the sentences are short enough to keep the baby's attention on the story, and I found the book great to teach opposites. Now when I read the book and I say "the porridge was too hot" my son can complete the next sentence "the porridge was too COLD". And so on with the rest of the story. I say it's a great book.

We checked this book out of the library when our oldest daughter was 2 (she is now 7). She loved it so much, we bought it. It was the first book that she memorized and we video taped her "reading" it and using different voices for each bear. The same thing happened with our son (now 4) - it was the first book he "read" to himself. And he still enjoys having the story read to him (sometimes by his big sister). Now our third child (2 year old daughter) loves to have the book read to her and "reads" it to whoever will listen.The colors and illustrations are bold and fun. The story and illustrations are simple yet there are small details - like flowers that Goldilocks drops as she moves along - that spark a child's interest and interaction. We have even done projects using this book. With construction paper, scissors and glue, the children recreate pages from the book.I can't say enough about this book. We have bought it for all of our little friends and for any new babies that arrive. We have also enjoyed and purchased Barton's other books - but there is just a special place in our hearts for this one.

I can't give enough rave reviews about this Byron Barton version of the Three Bears. The story is intrigueing enough for our almost 3yr old son, while the bright, simple illustrations hold the interest of our 11-month old daughter. The story is not at all wordy, yet it is definitely the complete Three Bears story. Byron Barton even adds another concept to the story. While the porridge is too hot or cold, and the beds are too hard or soft, the rocking chairs rock too fast or too slow. I love the early concepts the story introduces and the simple, yet well done illustrations and writing.

Our toddler daughter adores this book, and constantly wants to read it over and over. It piqued her awareness of possession -- she started pointing at our chairs and saying "daddy's" and "mommy's", and then pointing and everything else she could find and saying daddy's" or "mommy's". She also made many more comments about how hot or cold various food or beverages were. We have some of Barton's other books, and I think his illustration style works incredibly well for very young children.

My first daughter loved this book so much she was always asking us to read it to her. Isn't _that_ what counts in a children's book? Our copy has been handled so much it's disintegrated. We may need another one for our second daughter...