Review by Booklist Review
Ages 2-4. An exuberant, beguiling rhyme about a bear child's activities throughout the day. (Ap 1 86)
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Jesse Bear playfully "wears" not only his shirt and pants, but also the sun on his legs, sand on his arm, bathwater and bubbles, sleep in his eyes, etc. PW described this work as "ingenuous yet never coy.... An appealing book to share with a young child." Ages 2-5. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2 ``Jesse Bear, what will you wear? /What will you wear in the morning?'' wonders Jesse's mama. Throughout his day, Jesse proudly wears not only clothes (``my pants that dance in the morning''), but the sun, his highchair (and, inevitably, his ``juice from a pear /and rice in my hair'') and the bubbles in his bathtub too. The rhymes, besides having a charming lilt to them, are clean and catchy and beg to be recited. The illustrations, watercolors with pen and ink, combine freshness of color with freshness of attitude, and the result is a cheery, uncluttered exuberance. Words and illustrations interplay beautifully, each enhancing the other's brightness. The youngest members of the audience will love following the day's progression from morning to noon to night and recognizing familiar activities from each time of day; all of this is laid out simply and with great appeal. The double-page spread of Jesse's father's return home from work actually beams, seeming larger than the size of the pages. There's much for a child to recognize in this book: not just physical objects but attitudes, habits and relationships, too. Jesse Bear celebrates, and does more than justice to, youngsters' joy, pride and comfort in their own independence as they try on their own familiar environment and find that it fits. Liza Bliss, Central New England College, Worcester, Mass. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
In this inexpensive paper-over-board edition, Jesse Bear dances and cavorts through his day, answering the title question with all sorts of silly ideas: "I'll wear carrots and peas / And a little more please..." After his bath he wears pajamas "and three kisses, too." Degen's illustrations of Jesse Bear's first literary appearance are as warm and cozy as Carlstrom's rhyming text. (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Carlstrom's first book is written in a bubbling verse that combines rhythm and rhyme to create a lovely sound; Degen's detail-crowded drawings are all that we've come to expect from this gifted, good-humored artist. The book opens with the question: ""Jesse bear, what will you wear?/ What will you wear in the morning?,"" as the underwear-clad little bear looks through his bureau drawer. He answers with a delightful array of possibilities, including this one: ""I'll wear the sun/ On my legs that run/ Sun on the run in the morning."" He is asked the same question at noon, and responds that, among other things, he will wear his chair, which he carries to the lunch table, as well as ""juice from a pear/ And rice in my hair."" And when nighttime arrives, the bear declares he will wear his bath water, his pj's, his blanket and, finally, ""Sleep in my eyes/ And stars in the skies/ Moon on my bed/ And dreams in my head/ That's what I'll wear tonight."" One is tempted to sing Carlstrom's words aloud. She has a rich imagination, which, hopefully, will create many more books for children. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
