Welcome to metomi.com, your online source of great reads and activities for young readers! In honour of bears we have selected five wonderful bear books for your preschooler along with some fun printable bear activities under the Fun Stuff section. Make like a bear and try out our Honey Hide n' Seek game with your little reader! We are also introducing our new mascot, metomi, an avid reader and all-around cool cat! metomi's column will be metomi's suggestions on how to make reading fun and other useful tips. We have also included a link to WWF-Canada's Polar Bear site, a site that currently tracks six female polar bears with cubs, and also highlights the issues facing our polar bear friends today. Happy Reading and do check out our Library for more great books!
Title: Where's My Teddy?
Author/Illustrator: Jez Alborough
Our copy of Where's My Teddy is well loved. The book is one of three in a series by Jez Alborough - the other two are "My Friend Bear" and "It's the Bear", both of which are also quite good. In this story, a little boy is out looking for his teddy in a nearby wood and discovers a surprise - somehow his teddy has grown to gigantic proportions! Or has it? Elsewhere in the wood a big brown bear faces a similar conundrum...albeit with a much shrunken teddy. The smooth rhyming text and vivid detailed pictures build up the suspense nicely - and then releases it in a hilarious way. The boy ends up safely back at home, tucked cozy and snug in his bed, which makes the book a perfect bedtime read.
Title: Don't You Feel Well Sam?
Author: Amy Hest; Illustrator: Anita Jeram
This book continues to be a welcome read in our home. The story of a mother bear trying to convince her sick and reluctant bear cub to drink his cough syrup is told in such a warm and tender way that this book is perfect for bedtime reading. The warm tones and soft brushwork in the pictures also add to the overall 'cuddly-snuggly' effect, without being too mushy. The mother bear promises her bear cub that they will stay up and wait for the snow if he takes his medicine. When snow finally does come, the author portrays an otherwise common outcome in such a simple and beautiful way that a first snowfall somehow feels magical and new again for the readers. The book is also one of three in a series - Kiss Good Night and You Can Do It, Sam! are the other two and we look forward to reading those also.
Title: Jamberry
Author/Illustrator: Bruce Degen
Jamberry is another wonderful bear book. In this story a boy and his bear friend embark on a journey to find and pick berries for jam. Along the way, they enjoy whimsical adventures with a continuous stream of animal friends who really know how to make a party out of a seemingly straightforward task. You'll enjoy following the two as they canoe down a waterfall surrounded by bread trees and cookie lily pads to an all-out party with exploding berry fireworks! The story is short on words but the words are smart and silly (in a good way) and rhyme well...while the pictures are competent storytellers in themselves. Learn more about Bruce Degen on Reading Rockets.
Title: The Bear Snores On
Author: Karma Wilson; Illustrator: Jane Chapman
This book tells a tale of a hibernating bear whose cave is visited by a number of little animals, one after the other, all seeking shelter from the wintry weather. The animals very quickly befriend each other, and spend a few hours in the bear's home munching on goodies they've brought and dancing around a home-made fire. The bear manages to sleep through the party until...something causes him to sneeze and wake up! What appears at first glance to be an angry bear growling at unwelcome visitors turns out instead to be a sad bear, sad to have missed out on all the fun. Another cuddly-snuggly book that works well for bedtime!
Title: We're Going on a Bear Hunt
Author: Michael Rosen; Illustrator: Helen Oxenbury
This is the kind of book that you and your young readers can have a lot of fun with! You can try to physically mimic the actions of the family on a search for a bear, including treks through tall gravy grass, wading through knee-deep water and getting your feet all muddy, or braving a sudden snow storm! The bear that they do eventually meet up with seems fierce at first, but the book suggests towards the end that the bear was probably just startled at the sudden appearance of these four creatures in his cave (wouldn't you be?!). The bear follows the family as they hurry back through the various obstacles separating their home and the bear cave, until they are once again safe at home under the covers. The back cover shows a back view of the bear, in a slump-shouldered quiet moment that makes him come across as not so ferocious after all but rather misunderstood. My daughter and I had lots of laughs while reading this book and the repetitive text gets her volunteering to mimic and read the words herself, both good things!
Hi! I'm metomi the cat, avid reader and mascot for metomi.com! We launched in May 2008 and are excited to be here! metomi.com is a resource for busy parents, hip grandparents and cool caregivers looking for ideas to nurture young readers! metomi.com loves reading and believes that life is better with books! We provide book suggestions and activities around familiar themes for preschoolers. Thanks for visiting and Happy Reading!
