A Birthday for Bear by Bonny Becker, Illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton
When I last reviewed A Visitor for Bear and interviewed the author, I was ecstatic to know that there were more books about Bear and Mouse in the works and A Birthday for Bear by Bonny Becker and illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton is one of those books that I’m thrilled to share with you today.
We were first introduced to this unlikely pair of friends when Mouse won’t stop visiting Bear and there’s nothing more than Bear wants than to show him the way out. But when Mouse does leave, Bear discovers that he misses him and that he’s more lonely than he realized. Luckily, Bear welcomes him back and in A Birthday for Bear, well, you guessed it, it’s Bear’s birthday.
Bear HATES birthdays. Especially his birthday. He’s always busy on his birthday as he sweeps, mops, dusts and polishes. Mouse arrives ready for a party and birthday wishes but Bear proclaims, “I do not like parties. I do not like birthdays. And I especially do not like birthday parties for me at my house” and he sweeps mouse out the door. In a similar rendition that we saw in A Visitor for Bear, Mouse keeps finding ways to get back into Bear’s house and Bear keeps finding ways to kick him out. But Bear has to admit that he’s curious about the large present that Mouse had. It was especially big. And he wondered what sort of especially big present it might be. When the doorbell rings one final time and Bear finds a chocolate Birthday cake on his step, will it be the last straw or a birthday that he’ll never forget?
This picture book is set up as an Early Reader with four short chapters and kids will love this unlikely pair of friends. Kady MacDonald Denton has created the perfect backdrop for Becker’s story and the book is just pure delight to read. Becker says of A Birthday for Bear, “Not everyone likes birthdays. But maybe that’s because they never had the right friend to celebrate with.” If you haven’t checked out this great pair of friends, I highly recommend that you do because they are simply sweet. I can’t wait until the next installment.
Bonny Becker is guest posting today on the Maw Books Blog! Do go check it out as Bonny’s written a fabulous article about picture books that you don’t want to miss.
Links of interest: Bonny Becker website, Kady MacDonal Denton website, more book blogger reviews. Maw Books reviews of A Visitor for Bear, The Christmas Crocodile, Holbrook A Lizard’s Tale, An Ant’s Day Off, and My Brother the Robot all by Bonny Becker. Maw Books previous interview with Bonny Becker.
Genre: Fiction Early Reader, approx ages 4-8.
Publisher: Candlewick. September 8, 2009.
Hardcover, 56 pages. ISBN 0763637467
A Birthday for Bear is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.
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Tags: A-D Author, A-D Title, female author, Fiction, published 2009, series
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[...] Bonny Becker guest posting on my blog. If you don’t know Becker from her adorable new book A Birthday for Bear or from the cute A Visitor for Bear among her other wonderful books including My Brother, The [...]
on November 23rd, 2009 at 3:07 amI loved this book, too. It was my featured Picture Book Pick of the Week not too long ago
on November 23rd, 2009 at 11:55 amNatasha,
I just found your site tonight while searching for information about “The Chosen One” which I read in one sitting last night. I’ve added you to my bloglist, so I’ll be checking in frequently. The problem is, I am a children’s book pig–I have to have them all–not from the library, not to read one time, but to love and share with others. “A Visitor for Bear” is a favorite so now this is one more for my ‘have to get it’ list–yes, I’ve already ordered it. The more blogs I read, the more books I want, but I just keep adding the blogs.
Thanks for the new site.
on November 30th, 2009 at 8:12 pmI’m an elementary teacher in Wyoming with a love for sharing my extensive book collection with my colleagues. I love picture books but I also read a lot of YA just for fun. Best of all, one of my all time favorite students is named Natasha.