With its gay and realistic colors, its very clear pictures of favorite animals, and its simple and charming idea, "Ask Mr. Bear" has become a classic among books for youngest children.
From the easy-to-follow storyline of a young boy asking farm animals for suggestions on a gift for his mother's birthday to the simplistic yet colorful drawings, this classic picture book is a great early story for two-year-olds. The repetitive nature of this book - each animal is greeted, asked if it has a gift and then politely told by the boy that his mother already has that gift - makes it easy for children to follow. For half a century children have loved looking at the illustrations of farm animals and have had fun guessing what the boy will give his mom as a present; your child will no doubt enjoy the book as well.
The book provides children with the opportunity to practice their animal sounds or to laugh as their parents imitate the animals. It's also an early lesson in what everyday objects certain animals provide for people, such as milk from a cow and eggs from a chicken. If you pause during the story, older children can even guess which products come from which animals. Danny, the boy in the story, is a great example for demonstrating good manners as he always says thank you to the animals before politely declining their offers.
After I read this book to Emily, a three-year-old that I babysit, she requested it to be read again and again. She adored the different animals, which led into several choruses of "Old McDonald Had a Farm." We also turned the story into a guessing game. Can you guess what the chicken can give Danny? What do you think the bear suggested for Danny to give his mom for a special birthday present? Or even easier questions for younger children, such as: What does the duck say? Or pointing at an animal and asking what is this animal?
--Abby