Review by Booklist Review
Told from the point of a child looking back to his earliest days, this book celebrates books and family, though the text may appeal more to adults reading to children than to the children listening. It starts off with Mother (a gorgeous brown bear) welcoming Baby (a very cute brown bear) on his first day and reading him his first book. After she finishes, she whispers, Say Mommy! Say Mommy! The narrator adds, She hoped Mommy would be my first word! I just stared. Next is Daddy, then brother, Aunt Grace, Uncle Roy, and Grandma. They expound on the richness of books in a sometimes treacly manner ( This is a book about dreaming and how our wishes wrap themselves inside tomorrows and wait for us& ) and then likewise remind the child of their names. Weidner's bear illustrations are reminiscent of Sendak's classic Little Bear pictures, although here the figures are set in a Easter Egg-pastel world. She well captures the moment when this little bear says his first word not someone's name but book and of course all of his family cheers.--Nolan, Abby Copyright 2008 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-This story is narrated from the perspective of a newborn: "On the day I was born Mother welcomed me into the world with tears of joy and read me my first book." Daddy reads to his baby bear as soon as they come home from the hospital. One after another and over time, various family members share books with the baby, pointing out what wonderful adventures can be found within the pages. The stories convey important messages about kindness and caring, dreaming and making wishes come true, friendship, the value of laughter, and more. After reading aloud, each relative urges the child to say his or her name, but it's no surprise that the child's first word is "book" (though the father still hopes that the second one will be "Daddy"). Pastel watercolor illustrations heighten the dreamy, sweet, and cheerful atmosphere of this heavily messaged tale. Parents and caregivers make the best audience for this story, which would be useful in literacy and wellness programs for young families and will find a place in parenting collections along with Rosemary Wells's Read to Your Bunny (Scholastic, 1998).--Linda Staskus, Parma Regional Library, OH (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
A baby bear's various relatives (mother, father, brother, aunt, etc.) spend time reading to him, in hopes that his first word will be their name. The message about reading is positive, but the prose is overly preachy: "This is a book about friendship--and how kindness and fairness shapes us and helps us grow." Cutesy watercolors depict the bears reading and pretending together. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
