Monday, January 25, 2021

Review - Breaking News: Bear Alert

Breaking News: Bear Alert

by David Biedrzycki
Date: 2014
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 36
Format: e-book
Source: library

Somewhere in North America two bears are hibernating. But soon they will emerge from their den, hungry for food and hungry for--

WE INTERRUPT THIS STORY TO BRING YOU BREAKING NEWS:

TWO BEARS HAVE BEEN SPOTTED HEADING DOWNTOWN. THEY ARE WILD AND COULD BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. CALL ANIMAL CONTROL TO REPORT AN UNUSUAL ACTIVITY.

WE NOW RETURN YOU TO YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED BOOK.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. At first, it seems like a simple story about a couple of bears who hitch a ride into town to wreak havoc. But there's so much more going on than that.

There are so many things to look at in the illustrations. References to bear stories abound. There's Paddington, Blueberries for Sal, "Goldilocks and the Three Bears", and many others. Running alongside the story of the tourist bears is another in the background about a trio of robbers. Both stories eventually converge, and the troublesome bears are seen in a whole new light.

This is a book that you don't read so much as peruse. The story is told mainly through the illustrations, although you need to be able to read to get the most out of it. I'd probably recommend this to the older picture-book set; they're more likely to get the references, too.

Overall, this is a fun book to read. If you're a fan of bear stories, you might like this one.

Quotable moment:


Premise: 4/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 5/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 4.17 out of 5

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