Rebekah RayeRezensionen

a family is learning about a bear that is coming around their home in the forest. they learn about the bear and how they survive
7 book

Charlie always took good care of his two pet geese, providing them with a safe, enclosed area to graze, and their own pool. Every evening, he made sure they were bedded down in their shed, protected from the wild animals that lived in the nearby forest. But when a hungry black bear breaks into the storage shed late one spring night, gorging himself on birdseed, Charlie wonders how he can protect his birds, especially when he learns that the bear has also been into one neighbor's compost pile, and another's bird-feeder. Should the game warden be called, and the bear relocated? Or, as one neighbor suggests, should it be shot...?

As Charlie (and through him, Rekekah Raye) notes in the poster he hangs up, if there's a bear in your backyard, "The bear isn't the problem - you are!" Bear-ly There is an engaging story of how one boy and his family resolve their community's bear problem, and also offers concrete suggestions for others facing a similar situation. Cleaning off grills, as soon as they have been used, taking down bird-feeders in the summer, and a number of other effective precautions are suggested, through Charlie's proactive poster. Entertaining and educational, with beautiful pictures, this is a winner! I intend to look for more by this author/illustrator!

A little gray squirrel searches for a place to sleep in this charming bedtime story by Maine artist Rebekah Raye, who also illustrated Allen Sockabasin's Thanks To The Animals, as well as her own more recent book, Bear-ly There. From a cozy bear's den, to a branch thick with hanging bats, every sleeping place the squirrel investigates seems to be taken, until finally, an abandoned woodpecker's nest provides "the very best bed..."

With a simple text that is full of motion - rabbits go "hop, hop, hopping," the squirrel climbs "up, up, up" - and lovely watercolor illustrations that really make the animals come alive, The Very Best Bed would make a wonderful read-aloud tale - particularly for children who have trouble settling down for the night. Like squirrel, hopefully they can be led to their very own "very best bed."

Little Kid Reaction: We read this book a lot ... the boys requested it! My children loved this book, and wanted to read it every night. They really enjoyed seeing all the animals in their natural habitat, and trying to remember the names of all the animals.

Big Kid Reaction: As a biology major, I appreciated the exposure my children were getting to seeing the animals in each of their natural habitats. My son was so proud when he talked about the owl being "nocturnal" (relating the book to his learning in preschool about nocturnal animals). And I also appreciated giving my children an opportunity to discuss that not every habitat is right for everyone -- that, in general, sometimes there is no "right way," there is no "best bed," because everyone has different needs, different ways of doing things. The illustrations are wonderful, as well. The combination of the water color with black pen outlines and details is wonderfully executed. The pictures are realistic yet sweet, gentle, and beautiful.

Pros: This wonderfully illustrated book offers a sweet bedtime story, as well as nature-based learning.

To read our full review, go to The Reading Tub®.

Bear-ly there barely goes into the everyday life of black bears and concentrates on how humans should avoid attracting bears into their yards. That being said, it is a decent non-threatening introduction to interacting with black bears in suburban settings. The delightfully warm illustrations do much to save the slightly didactic story.

With local news stories covering the spread of Black Bears throughout the Fingerlakes and Upstate New York regions, this would be a timely acquisition for public and school libraries. The same advice given in bland newspaper articles every spring comes to life as the little boy protagonist learns to put away the birdseed once the snow melts, cover all trash receptacles and make loud noises while making yourself look big if a bear is nearby.

Bear-ly there is beautifully illustrated, but the text seems to be geared at a more advanced reader than the illustrations. However, I may not be the best judge on this, as currently, most of my reading is done with a 20-month-old. Growing up in an urban area as he is, I suspect it will be a long time before he's able to identify with this book. I think, for the right kids, this would be a fantastic way of talking about wildlife and how they interact with people.½

The pictures in this book were beautiful. My children (age 3) really enjoyed looking at the photos and talking about what was going on and what happened in the next picture. I would say the story is geared toward older kids, maybe 6 and up? The story was interesting, discussing why bears sometimes come near houses, and strategies for dealing with them. However, it did read a bit preachy as other reviewers have described, and at times the text read more like a lesson than like an engaging story. I think for those who live with bears nearby, this book could be particularly interesting. My kids have yet to really engage with the text (though as I said, they enjoyed the photos), but I do think they will like it more when they're older.½

This is a nice children's book about a bear that wanders into a family's back yard. The book details what to do if you've got bears . . . :o) It's nicely illustrated and a well-told tale.

Bear-ly There by Rebekah Raye is a beautifully illustrated picture book that explains ways to keep bears out or your yard. Living in North-Eastern Washington, bears are a common occurrence for many people. The advice about how to prevent bears from initially becoming interested in your home and yard were good and accurate. The story was well written but the boy’s response seemed a little to preachy and not genuine to a normal small boy. The illustrations and the descriptions of life on their little farm makes this a great read. A little common sense is always helpful when people live and play in a bear’s backyard.

I really enjoyed the story about bears encroaching on human civilization and possible humane methods of removing them. However, it wasn’t what I was expecting when I started the story. My fault - I should’ve read the back cover or summary. I was hoping for a nice story about bears and their habitats. So on that note, if I read this book to children, I would have a small discussion before reading it to them. I would ask them if they’d seen wild animals near their houses. I would then ask what kinds of animals, if they seemed dangerous, and what they thought could be done about the problem. If you go to the publisher’s website, http://www.tilburyhouse.com/childrens/bear-ly-there-teachers-take-note.htm , there is an entire page devoted to internet resources, discussion questions and activities.

The book is well written and beautifully illustrated. I have two problems with it, however. One, it suggests removing compost bins. “Don’t put food scraps in your compost pile.” You obviously don’t put meat in the compost pile but a compost bin is for the purpose of gathering food scraps. There are other things you can put in the compost pile such as dead leaves but the basic purpose of the bin is so that you don’t throw away precious food scraps which can be used to enrich your soil for growing vegetables. Two, it doesn’t stress or point out that children should never go out to scare away the bear by themselves. They might see this picture of the boy and his cymbal and think they might like to try it themselves. Yes the story includes the mother and father and the boy scaring the bear away together but children sometimes don’t understand the concept that it took all of them. Perhaps at the end of the story, there can be a simple statement regarding that.

A good intro for kids to the topic of living in bear country. A little preachy, but not too heavy-handed. My kids enjoyed it.

This was a nice book with great illustrations. It could be easily incorporated into science and social study lessons about biomes, habitats, communities, urban/rural interfaces. Since the ARC arrived unbound, this could make a great narrative input story.

Sammi and I read this book together. She thinks it's about a 2nd grade or early third grade level read. She enjoyed the colorful illustrations and the happy story of a bear wandering too close to people. I was glad to see that the solutions the young hero of the story came up with worked and all ended happily. Good for young animal lovers.

I really like this book. The story is an interesting one and also is one that anybody can become involved with as it plays out in solving the predicament of having a bear in your yard every night. This is done thoroughly, with no easy answer presented right away. And it is done with compassion and good common sense. Children who read this book will discover a respect for nature and our "friends" there as they learn to deal with troubles in a kind, gentle way.
I give it five stars.

I was a little disappointed that the copy that I received was basically the whole book, but not bound. So, I got loose pages and a dust jacket. That's not a book!

Anyway, the book was awesome. The illustration was just beautiful and the story was great! I actually learned a little about what to do when a bear is around. I can see how it would be a great teaching tool for either a classroom or for a parent living in a rural or suburban community where bears are known to live.

I can see how I would use the book to educate my own children in the future so that they know not to fear bears, but to be smart about how to handle them. We need more books like this!

I loved the book!

I was disappointed that the book was not bound. It made it difficult to read to my kids, ages 3 and 5. It's intended for grades 3-6, so I had to summarize some parts to keep their interest. They enjoyed the excitement of seeing the bear. The lesson of the book is a bit preachy, but my kids didn't seem to mind (or notice).

The illustrations are superb. The pages are colorful and filled with forest creatures. My kids took great pleasure in identifying them and searching for those that were slightly hidden.