Perfect Picture Book Friday – A Book For Bear PLUS A Giveaway!!

Welcome to Perfect Picture Book Friday, my friends!

I can’t wait to share today’s book with you. It is super cute and perfect to get us all excited for summer reading!

Plus, to make things even better, author Ellen L. Ramsey is offering a signed copy of A Book for Bear, plus bookmarks and activity sheets, to one lucky winner. To qualify to be the randomly selected winner, please leave a comment on today’s post by Thursday July 2nd at 3 PM Eastern.

In addition, to celebrate the book’s third birthday on July 18, Ellen will be offering a signed copy of the book to three lucky winners. Contest information will be on Ellen’s Instagram page starting on July 1, 2026. So if you don’t win one here, you’ll have another chance!

Title: A Book For Bear

Written By: Ellen L. Ramsey

Illustrated By: MacKenzie Haley

ISBN#: 978-0593527245

Publisher: Flamingo Books, July 18, 2023, fiction

Suitable For Ages: 3-6

Themes/Topics: love of reading, friendship, perseverance

text copyright Ellen L. Ramsey 2023, illustration copyright MacKenzie Haley 2023, Flamingo Books

Opening:

“Bear loved books.

Every day, Bear sat at the edge of
the woods and listened to a girl read.”

text copyright Ellen L. Ramsey 2023, illustration copyright MacKenzie Haley 2023, Flamingo Books

Brief Synopsis: [From Publisher] “Bear loves books. When Bear decides he wants a book of his very own, he and his best friend, Ellen, hatch a plan. But sneaking a bear into school, a library, and a bookstore proves to be harder than they thought. Will Bear ever find a book of his very own?”

text copyright Ellen L. Ramsey 2023, illustration copyright MacKenzie Haley 2023, Flamingo Books

Links To Resources: on Ellen’s Website: AUTHOR VISITS | Ellen L. Ramsey

Activity sheets (drawing activities, word searches and scrambles, crossword puzzles, and how to create a book) are downloadable from the Author Visits tab of Ellen’s website. The series of activity sheets entitled “Be Like Bear and Create a Book for Your Very Own” explain how to plan and make small books and are a particularly good activity for the summer months.

text copyright Ellen L. Ramsey 2023, illustration copyright MacKenzie Haley 2023, Flamingo Books

Why I Like This Book: This is such a sweet, fun story! Bear wants a book of his own so much, and Ellen, his devoted friend, does her best to help him get one. Since schools, libraries, and bookstores are not known for allowing bears inside, Ellen and Bear come up with various disguises – my favorite is the blueberry bush 😊 – but somehow Bear is always found out! In the end, [SPOLER ALERT – STOP READING IF YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW!] their solution is to work together to make Bear a book of his own and, guess what? It’s the book you’re reading – A Book For Bear. So cleverly done! The art is colorful, warm and inviting, and Bear’s expressions are so cute. Celebrating a love of reading and writing and stories, and the value of friendship, this is a lovely story for any bookshelf!

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 😊

Ellen Ramsey’s love of reading and writing led her to careers as a teacher, technical writer, and author. She loves to write imaginative and humorous stories and poetry. She also writes nonfiction articles about her favorite creatures—birds, bees, butterflies, squirrels, chipmunks, and flying squirrels. Her debut picture book, A Book for Bear, illustrated by MacKenzie Haley, celebrates friendship and love of reading, inspires creativity, and encourages children to create books of their very own. The book received the Moonbeam Award for the Best First Picture Book, was nominated for a Keystone State Literacy Association Elementary Book Award, and was a Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library selection.

Website: www.ellenlramsey.com
Social media links:
IG: @ellenlramseybooks
Facebook: @ellen.l.ramsey.5
X/Twitter: @ellenlramsey1
Bluesky: @ellenlramseybooks

For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.

PPBF folks, please add your titles and post-specific blog links (and any other info you feel like filling out 😊) to the form below so we can all come see what fabulous picture books you’ve chosen to share this week!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! 😊 And remember, your comment on today’s post by Thursday July 2nd at 3 PM Eastern puts you in the running to be the randomly selected winner of a signed copy of A Book For Bear!

61 thoughts on “Perfect Picture Book Friday – A Book For Bear PLUS A Giveaway!!”

    • ellenramsey says:
      Reply
      ellenramsey's avatar

      I included in the text lines like “Ellen and a furry superhero,” “Ellen and a blueberry bush,” and “Ellen and a furry giant.” The way illustrator MacKenzie Haley portrayed Bear’s costumes is absolutely brilliant–I particularly love the blueberry bush disguise! MacKenzie also added lots of visual details like a chipmunk on the title page pulling a red wagon of books. Chipmunk also has guest appearances in several places in the book. The surprise of having the book “in disguise” was created by MacKenzie, the editor, and the art director; it’s fun to remove the dust jacket and reveal the final surprise of the book!

  7. Barbara Seregi says:
    Reply
    Barbara Seregi's avatar

    Wow! So timely for me. My new grandson born just this month is Wade Bexar (pronounced Bear). I will be buying this for him! And congratulations, Ellen!

  9. E Berger says:
    Reply
    E Berger's avatar

    What an adorable story! I love the twist that the story ends up being the book they create for Bear.

    I think my grandkids books mostly come from your Tues and Fri’s picks. You definitely can pick them!

    Thanks Susannah for sharing with us and Ellen for your sweet and creative story! Happy 3rd book birthday!

  10. Armineh Manookian says:
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    Armineh Manookian's avatar

    Love the hooks—bear, books, and friendship. Such a sweet story. Congratulations on your upcoming book birthday #3, Ellen!

  14. Janet Frenck Sheets says:
    Reply
    Janet Frenck Sheets's avatar

    This sounds delightful! I’m rather sorry that I read the spoiler, because I didn’t predict that terrific ending. I’ll enjoy seeing how the events build up to it.

  17. Art says:
    Reply
    Art's avatar

    To echo the comments in the introduction, I also think this book is very cute. A person could do worse than to look further into this very bearable item. I know, very punny! Does being male give me an excuse to make dad jokes? LOL 🙂

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