A Story For Bear, written by Dennis Haseley, was completely over looked by the Caldecott Committee. Truly an injustice has been done to this wonderful story. A bear stumbles upon a young woman reading near her cabin. The bear doesn't understand what the young woman is doing. He is enchanted nonetheless and keeps returning to watch her. One day the woman invites the bear to sit near her. When the bear does, she proceeds to read out loud to him. A lovely friendship ensues between them as the woman continues reading out loud to the bear each day. When the time comes for the woman to go away, she leaves all of her books for the bear. One by one he collects each book and takes them back to his cave. The illustrations, by Jim LaMarche, are warm and convey a sense of mystery and wonder. As I read A Story For Bear I was taken on an emotional journey. Children will be too.

Preston McClear...

The reviewer for Publisher's Weekly doesn't seen to understand perspective. The story is from the bear's point-of-view, throughout and a simple, trusting perspective it is. The other reviewers have a better grasp on the power (and the flaws) of A Story for Bear. I agree that the letter is perplexing but, as a whole, the book is one I would read to my kids many times over.

One summer day, a bear strayed far from home, and found himself in a clearing, watching a woman reading. "Sometimes, as she gazed at the book, she laughed out loud. Other times, she lowered it and looked away, but without really seeing anything, he thought. Still other times, she appeared afraid and held it tightly, And once, when the sun slanted through the trees, he saw her place it gently on her lap and close her eyes..." The bear was mesmerized, and came back day after day to watch the woman read. One day the woman notices the bear and calls to him. He cautiously lumbers over near her chair, lies down, and she begins to read aloud. "The bear gazed up at her as she said the words and turned the pages. He couldn't understand any of what she was saying. But as he listened to the sound of her voice, happiness washed over him like waves." And so the summer continued, until one day, as autumn approached, the bear arrived at her chair in the woods, and she was gone. "There, under the tree where she usually sat, were her books. There were many of them, more than he had ever seen, lying on a cloth, fallen leaves and pinecones on their covers." Slowly and carefully he took each book back to his cave. "And all that winter, before she came back in the spring, whenever he put his nose to the pages or touched the covers with his claws, she was there..." Dennis Haseley's eloquent text is quiet and heartwarming, and filled with magic. But it's Jim LaMarche's engaging, dreamy and expressive artwork, in soft and appealing earthtones, that really makes this picture book stand out. Together word and art send a gentle message about the joys of reading and being read to, that won't be lost on young children. Perfect for youngsters 3-7, A Story For Bear makes a wonderfully soothing and reassuring bedtime story that little ones will beg to read again and again.

I just loved reading this book so much that I couldn't put it down. I just had to find out the ending. I believe that most kids (and probably most adults) would enjoy reading this book too. I can't wait to read another book by Dennis Haseley.