Review by Booklist Review
Gravett's lively animal pair, Bear and Hare, return in this story about sharing. While out on a walk, Hare finds things that Bear wants, too. First, it's a flower. Bear asks, Share? but Hare delivers an emphatic refusal: Mine! Genial Bear, however, is unfazed and gives Hare a nice hug. From balloons to ice cream, Bear asks to share, and Hare still says no. Finally on his own, Hare spies a tantalizing opportunity and he's eager to have it all to himself, but when it all goes awry, Bear steps in and generously offers his help, and Hare expresses his gratitude with a little generosity of his own. Gravett's charming pencil illustrations in soft colors keep the highly expressive duo at the forefront, setting their interactions against crisp white backgrounds with minimal but droll details, like Hare using both his paws and his ears to clutch an ice-cream cone. With short sentences, simple vocabulary, and word repetition, this dryly comic story will appeal to both beginning independent readers as well as kids in a group story time.--Rosenfeld, Shelle Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-In this fourth book featuring the two friends, Hare finds it difficult to share with his pal as they walk together. They discover a flower. "Share?" asks Bear. "Mine!" Hare replies. Bear's request to share a balloon results in a tug-of-war, causing the balloon to pop. Hare buys ice cream and declares, "Mine!" Bear isn't fazed by Hare's selfishness, though, and sometimes even responds with a kindly hug. Although Bear isn't with him when he discovers a beehive, Hare tucks into a tasty honeycomb with glee-until a swarm of bees chase him. "There there," says Bear, who reappears with a first-aid kit to soothe his friend's bites. "Share?" says a contrite-looking Hare, holding out a honey jar. The large illustrations, rendered in pencil, watercolor, and crayon, depict large, brown, shaggy-haired Bear and Hare, ears so long they stretch toward the ends of the pages. Rarely do the two animals appear on the same page. The white ground makes the friends stand out and enables readers to focus on their many facial expressions: Bear's smiling anticipatory overtures, his bowed dejection as he sees Hare wrap his arms and ears around a huge ice-cream cone, and his comforting hugs; Hare's sly glances and determination as he refuses to share, and his apologetic expression as he offers some honey. But does he really learn to share? The cover shows the friends tussling over a honey jar. The very last illustration portrays Hare holding that same jar away from Bear. Readers will have to decide. VERDICT This is a fine vehicle for discussing the value of sharing, and the simple declarative sentences make it perfect for beginning readers. Pair it with Susie Lee Jin's Mine for a lively storytime.-Marianne Saccardi, Children's Literature Consultant, Greenwich, CT © Copyright 2016. 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
Like most toddlers, Hare isn't very good at sharing. On a walk with Bear, Hare won't share the flower, ice cream, or balloon they find. The tables turn after a painful bee encounter, when a chastened Hare asks to share ever-patient Bear's honey jar. With remarkably few words and expressive, uncluttered illustrations, Gravett's fourth Bear & Hare book offers a slice-of-life story that will resonate with readers. (c) Copyright 2017. 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
Bear and Hare are more toddlerlike than ever.Bear's the mellower of the two, Hare the scowlier, but their power dynamic is changeable. In Bear Hare Go Fishing (2015), Hare was subordinate and a bit trampled; in Bear Hare: Snow! (2015), Hare had all the fun and smirked at hapless Bear. This time, out walking, they find a flower, a balloon, and an ice cream cone as big as Hare. Their dialogue invites readers to chime in: " Share?' asked Bear. / Mine!' said Hare." Petulantly determined not to share, Hare chomps the flower, grips the ice cream cone with long ears as well as arms, and keeps grasping the balloon even while Bear's pulling on it. Will there be conflict? Hare eats the edibles, bursts the balloon (well, they both do that), and glares"But Bear didn't care." Bear's well of forgiveness is endlessmatching how quickly and irrationally toddler resentments (sometimes) disappear. When Bear goes briefly away, Hare gets some painful comeuppance. Gravett uses her mastery of expression and composition in fabulous illustrations. Her pencils, watercolors, and crayons make details pop: flower petals sagging out of Hare's mouth; the primary-colored, liquid-paint-y balloon and its tiny shards after it bursts; pink ice cream staining Hare's mouth. Backgrounds are white except for a bit of grassy ground, and the visual mood is cheerful.Well worth sharing. (Picture book. 2-4) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
