Starred review from May 20, 2024
A young bear literally looks up to its mother in this reassuring picture book about learning to take risks. A mother
bear perches in a plum tree amid a field of golden, waving grasses, where her cub sits, longing for the delicious-looking plums above: “It’s a problem when you want a purple plum, too.” As the pages turn,
de Sève (This Story Is Not About a Kitten) describes the plums with accumulating adjectives that hint at the cub’s desire for the “sweet-smelling, juicy, ripe purple fruit.” But as the cub contemplates joining Mama, it ruminates on possible perils: the leap upward could fall short, and the climb might result in scrapes, or even a tumble from the branches. Sanguine Mama doesn’t minimize the cub’s anxieties, reiterating the idea that “sometimes we wobble”
and also that “it’s okay.” Finally, the cub climbs, reaches for a plum, and falls—
Gardiner (Small Places, Close to Home) catches the endearingly ungraceful tumble in midair—but a plum drops, too, and one taste is motivation enough for the cub to dust off and try again. The spare text’s voices—Mama’s is soothing, the cub’s more apprehensive—honor the duo’s differing points of view, while gouache and colored pencil art with elegant shapes and subtle earth tones offer lovely, ongoing visual consolation and comfort. Ages 4–8. Agent (for author and illustrator): Steven Malk, Writers House.
Starred review from June 1, 2024
A mama and baby bear demonstrate the importance of trying despite the possibility of failure. A mama bear is nestled high up in the branches of a tree, munching on a juicy purple plum. From below, the baby looks up at her longingly, worried about scratched paws and bumped noses; mostly, this little one is afraid of tumbling to the ground. Ultimately, the baby bear does fall, "which happens sometimes. And it's okay." Sound life truths. De S�ve expertly depicts the mama bear as a loving caregiver who, with wisdom and encouragement, guides the baby bear from above, though she allows the little one the freedom to make mistakes and even get a bit roughed up along the way. And what follows is a tasty reward: The baby bear obtains its purple plum. Gardiner's illustrations mirror the text's soft elegance with a muted palette full of tans, lavenders, and deep browns. The bears are simply drawn but expressive. Feelings of longing and anxiety are palpable in a close-up of the baby bear's face, its ears back as it begins to climb. What a lovely story of parenting and childhood, of paving the way without smoothing it. A meaningful and tender tale of learning through experience. (Picture book. 3-5)
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July 1, 2024
A brown bear cub crouches by a plum tree, looking up at its mama eating, hungry but scared to climb. Mama reassures the cub's worries ("Sometimes we slip and scratch our paws...It's okay") and, despite an eventual fall, the cub tries again, achieving a "delicious" reward. Young children learn about bravery and perseverance from de Seve's tender story; the earth tones of Gardiner's gouache and colored-pencil illustrations reflect the loving parent-child relationship.
(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)