So there I was, being uber-organized. My post was written and scheduled not just on time, but AHEAD of time! And what should happen?
No idea!
But somehow my entire post disappeared – down to the last comma! – so I had to rewrite the whole thing from scratch this morning after barn chores (which was when I realized wordpress had swallowed it whole and my post had never gone up!) My sincere apologies for the tardiness of this post!
So let’s try again…
It’s May, and on Blueberry Hill, that means the bears are up!
Our bears are black bears – lumbering, relatively peaceful creatures who would just as soon not tangle with people or dogs, but who are more than happy to raid the trash cans in the garage or the bird feeder at every possible opportunity!
We have two regularly-visiting bears in our neck of the woods. One is young, glossy-coated, and healthy-looking – we have watched him saunter across the yard and help himself to ripe apples from our tree in September. The other one is an old curmudgeon, scarred and a little thin and scruffy-looking. His life is much more challenging. He suffered an injury at some point – caught in a trap? 😦 – and as a result is missing a forefoot. He has learned to compensate and gets around all right, but I forgive him for raiding the trash cans if I’m foolish enough to leave the garage door open 🙂 Did you know he loves to lick the chocolate residue from inside the foil chocolate easter egg wrappers? Clearly we are twins separated at birth 🙂
Since I have bears on the brain, today’s Perfect Picture Book is about bears – not black bears, but the threatened brown/grizzly bear that roams the wilds of Alaska and the Rockies and such. I hope you’ll enjoy it!
Title: Eat Like A Bear
Written By: April Pulley Sayre
Illustrated By: Steve Jenkins
Henry Holt & Co, October 2013, Nonfiction
Suitable For Ages: 4-8
Themes/Topics: nonfiction, animals (bears – brown/grizzly), nature
Opening: “Can you eat like a bear?
Awake in April. Find food.
But where?
Drink like a bear — from a stream.
Leaping trout? None about.
Bushes? Bare. No berries there.
It’s been four long months since fall,
when you were full.”
Brief Synopsis: From the jacket: “Can you eat like a bear? Be a grizzly bear, waking up in spring. What is there to eat in April? In May? Sniff, listen, and look. Paw, claw, and pull. Catch fish, munch berries, and nibble seed-filled pine cones. But be sure to fill up for the long winter ahead…”
Links To Resources: the back matter in the book is a resource in itself, filled with information on brown/grizzly bears, their habits, habitats, diet, threatened status, and current scientific studies.
Why I Like This Book: the text is interesting, simple and accessible, yet written in engaging language that is fun to read aloud, including little repeated patterns like “paw, claw, pull” that young listeners will learn to anticipate and join in on. The information presented is age-appropriate and not overwhelming. The art is a perfect complement for the text – very appealing, making the potentially-scary grizzly bear fairly warm and friendly-looking. My knowledge of artistic technique is virtually non-existent, but Booklist described it thus: “Jenkins fixes the action in the Rocky Mountains with his trademark cut- and torn-paper collage. Using a variety of materials, including handmade Mexican bark paper for the bears, he achieves a remarkable variety of line and texture, as crisp leaves and flowers contrast with fuzzy fur” which I think gives a pretty good idea of what it looks like 🙂 This is a great title for the nonfiction lover in your life, or for a classroom or library!
I hope you like it as much as I do 🙂
Text copyright April Pulley Sayre 2013, Illustration copyright Steve Jenkins 2013
For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.
PPBF folks, please add your titles and post-specific links (and any other info you feel like filling out 🙂 ) to the form below so we can all come see what you chose for this week!
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!! 🙂
Susanna Leonard Hill 
So glad to learn that it was nothing more serious than a devoured blog post! You’d have thunk the poor site had been famished since last fall, or something;) Maybe jealous of the Bears’ feast?
I look forward to finding the Bears in the local library soon.
I wondered if something happened. Had a post disappear just once — it’s out there in the cloud. I just found your post further down in my reader too, after my 7 a.m. posting. Strange. Isn’t technology great sometimes. I love your selection today. What a great cover. Fun to see a nonfiction book in rhyme. Kids will devour EAT LIKE A BEAR.
I’m familiar with Steve Jenkins tactile illustrations, but haven’t seen this book. sounds like a good read, right in time for spring. Thanks for the info on the grizzly/brown bear noted as threatened, I like to shed light on our endangered critter friends.
Sorry to hear about your WordPress woes, I had technical woes yesterday. Glad you are up and running, thanks for the interesting bear book too!
Hooray for bears! This looks like a great read and the illustrations are gorgeous.
I love reading your tidbits about life on Blueberry Hill, Susanna. Black bears and barns chores — sounds idyllic!
Years ago, when I was still a newbie at blogging, I’d type out an entire word doc and then…it would disappear. And I would retype the whole thing. One day, my daughter (you know, one of those young tech savvy people) passed by and asked by I was foaming at the mouth. When I explained what had happened, she touched one button and…voila…there it was! Hidden under another screen. Who knows, your first post may be lurking somewhere in the ‘cloud’.
Glad you got this one up, Susanna…this looks like a really wonderful book! And nonfiction in rhyme…I must get a copy!
Love your description of your local bears Susanna! I was lucky to see Steven Jenkins speak once about his process and the extensive research he conducts on his subject matter. Extremely talented and utterly devoted to his craft, it really shines through and complements the author’s text.
This book looks great! I suspect a bear ate your original post.
Twins lol. I love the rhyme in that story. Good luck with your bear encounters and pesky technology.
Beary fun post! Love the rhyme.
Hahahaha! Yup, it has been one of those unbearable days. Vivian is probably right about the post hiding somewhere. It happens to me a lot – geez. Gotta love technology AND your book. Non-fiction and rhyming. Winner, winner – chicken dinner 🙂
What Vivian Kirkfeild said! Both about the daughter and the rhyming non-fiction! Lol!
I haven’t seen this bear story before, but I love the concept – seems like a “fresh” idea!
Thanks for organizing all these great links!
This happened to me once and I had written it on pages not posts. Duh!
The final spread you share here is utterly beautiful.
I love this book – the bear probably ate your post! Glad you got it back. Can’t wait to see what everyone else is reviewing.
I’m feeling a little bearish this morning. Thanks for the peek. Will put this one on my library list tout de suite!
The simplicity of the language in this book is wonderful. So is the fact that your bear and you both love to lick the chocolate from the inside of the Easter egg wrappers!!