Bear's New Friend

Bear's New Friend by Karma Wilson has been a favorite around our house since we picked it up from the library.  My toddler has loved it so much she wanted to get a second copy from the library the last time she went.  Karma Wilson has written several "Bear" books, and I have used them in several various lessons with first graders and kindergartners.

Wilson's books are great for younger kids including babies, toddlers, and even kids up to 2nd grade.  There is a small amount of text on each page, the pictures are beautiful, and the story is fun.  Older kids will like this book as well b/c there is an unexpected aspect to the story.  However, older kids wouldn't pull this book off of the shelf to read on their own.  Older kids may not choose this book themselves, but they would enjoy trying to figure out who the unknown animal is with the clues provided throughout the story.

I would give Bear's New Friend 5 out of 5 stars for being a great picture book.  It's a great book to read aloud, and it's a fun story.  It's not necessarily a funny story, but it is a fun one.  I suggest picking it up to read to your kids or students.

The basic story line involves a bear that wants to play with his friends.  In his search to find all of his friends he meets a new friend, and this new friend joins all of them for a fun afternoon at the swimming hole.

For the teachers out there this would be a great book to teach homophones.  Homophones, which are two words that sound the same but have different meanings, is the reason there is a fun, unexpected aspect to the story.  Homophones are clearly presented in this book, and this book would provide a great introduction to a lesson on homophones.

Bear's New Friend by Karma Wilson is a great book to read for fun and/or a lesson.  Go check it out!

Happy reading!