This book reminds me of an old favorite, Blueberries for Sal by Robert McClosky (Caldecott Honor, 1949). It retains the warm relationship between the bear cub and its mother like that classic book. Baby Bear Sees Blue, is more contemporary and visually stimulating with very shiny illustrations of full page block linoleum prints and watercolor illustrations.
“Who is singing to me, Mama?” asks baby bear –“those are the jays” answers Mama and baby bear sees blue. A trout splashes baby bear and baby bear sees brown. Baby bear sees red and asks “what smells so good, mama?” “Those are strawberries,” Mama says. After some more adventures – seeing a beautiful orange butterfly, and encountering thunder and lightning, and finally seeing a rainbow, the two bears settle down in their den and go to sleep. “Then Baby Bear closes his eyes and sees nothing but deep, soft black.”
This book could be paired at storytime with Blueberries for Sal for Kindergarteners or older pre-schoolers or any themed story time about bears. It could also be used simply as a soothing bedtime story.
Check the WRL catalog for Baby Bear Sees Blue.
