The Family Bookshelf
By Bob Walch

"What About Bear?"
(Boyds Mill Press)
by Suzanne Bloom

The Audience: For children 2-5

The Issue: What happens when a new playmate comes between two long time friends.

The Content: Bear and Goose are having a wonderful time playing together until Little Fox joins in. Not only does he change the group's dynamics but Little Fox also keeps "changing the game" so that Bear is left out of the fun.

When Bear finally sees he is the "odd critter out", he hangs his head and begins to walk away. Not wanting to lose his best friend, Goose calls Bear back and devises a solution to the problem.

Every child, at one time or another, has experienced this feeling of being left out when a play group expands and someone is unwittingly left out.

The Message:This picture book deals with a real life situation. When a new playmate arrives and unwittingly drives a wedge between two existing friends, what is a person to do? Suzanne Bloom captures not only the hurt feelings that result from this predicament but her characters also resolve the dilemma so that all three can enjoy one another's company. 

Before retiring, Bob Walch taught English in Santa Barbara and Carmel for 39 years. His reviews of children's literature appear in Central Coast newspapers and on line at the Reading Tub, Roundtable Reviews, My Shelf and Parent Click.