A BIRTHDAY FOR BEAR by Bonny Becker, illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton Candlewick, 2009 Picture Book Grades Preschool-2

Can a relentlessly cheery Mouse wear down a party-pooping Bear? The unlikely pair are back in a droll, utterly charming tale that early readers will celebrate.

Bear does not like birthdays. He doesn’t like parties or balloons, cards or candles. In fact, Bear does not like anything to do with birthdays at all. He would much rather spend his birthday alone cleaning his house, but Mouse, small and gray and bright-eyed, has other ideas. The author and illustrator who created the best-selling picture book A VISITOR FOR BEAR return with another comedy about the curmudgeonly Bear and his eager friend Mouse, this time in an early-reader format.

Reviews

Children's Literature

This easy-reader-format picture book has two characters: a large, cranky bear who definitely does not like anything connected with birthdays and a tiny and determined mouse, who is certain that if he keeps trying, he will find a way to engage bear in a happy celebration. There is plenty of humor as the two interact on Bear's birthday. Bear rebuffs parties, balloons, cards, and a present, but, in the end, he cannot resist the chocolate birthday cake left at his doorstep. Designed for independent readers, each page has two to six lines of text. The full color ink and watercolor illustrations are humorous and charming. Fans of the earlier book, Bear's Visitor, by the same author/illustrator combination, will be happily engaged in this newest and recommended story Reviewer: Phyllis J. Perry

School Library Journal

K-Gr 3—The winning stars of A Visitor for Bear (Candlewick, 2008) make a return engagement, this time in early-reader format. Grumpy old Bear is totally uninterested in celebrating his birthday, but his cheery friend Mouse doggedly dons several comical disguises to trick and cajole him into enjoying the festive trappings of a party invitation, balloons, and a present. It is all to no avail, until Mouse leaves a beautiful homemade cake on Bear's doorstep; it's hard for him to ignore his favorite flavor and the fact that no one has ever made him a cake before. Mouse, hiding in the cake, brings back the balloons, the party hats, and the gift, and Bear's birthday is celebrated, at last, in fine and joyful style. Whimsical full-color ink and watercolor illustrations hilariously depict the yin and yang of enormous, cantankerous Bear and tiny, merry Mouse. A sprinkling of colorful, out-of-the-ordinary vocabulary words and phrases adds welcome spice to the narrative. Fluent early readers will be pulled into this title by the appeal of its universal subject, entertaining characters, and the satisfying story with just the right amount of tension unfolding in four short chapters.—Kathleen Finn, St. Francis Xavier School, Winooski, VT

Kirkus Reviews

Fans of the 2008 picture book A Visitor for Bear will delight in this second offering from Becker and Denton about curmudgeonly Bear and his intrepidly friendly-not to mention "small and gray and bright-eyed"-visitor, Mouse. This time, however, the book is an early reader, welcoming new readers to independently encounter this odd couple's deepening friendship. At book's opening, although Bear has accepted Mouse's presence, he rejects all presents and denies Mouse's efforts to celebrate his birthday. Undaunted, Mouse persists in showing up in a variety of disguises to deliver all sorts of goodies and gifts. As in their earlier picture book, Mouse draws up on the sheer force of his cheery goodwill to chip away at Bear's resolve, ultimately succeeding in forging a deeper bond between them. The text is broken into four chapters, and it reads as a well-pitched combination of humorous dialogue and omniscient commentary. Meanwhile, the energetic ink-and-watercolor illustrations brim with humor while firmly establishing Mouse and Bear as friends new readers will enjoy visiting time and again. (Early reader. 6-8)

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