Module 6: Old Bear

Old Bear by Kevin Henkes

 

Summary: As Old Bear hibernates for the winter, he dreams fantastic dreams about the different seasons of the year.  He sees giant flowers in the spring, raining blueberries in the summer, leaf colored fish in the fall, and multi-colored stars in the winter.  When Old Bear wakes up, he realizes it is already spring, and his wonderful dreams have made his sleeping time go by fast. 

 

APA Reference: Henkes, K. (2008). Old bear. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books.

Impressions: Although the text in Old Bear is very simple, Kevin Henke's beautiful pastel water-color illustrations create a magical journey through the season's of the year.  The green, pink, and purple tones of spring bring a feeling similar to that of an Easter egg hunt, with the pleasant surprise of a flower being big enough to secretly pocket a large Bear.  The green and blue tones of summer feel refreshing, and the raining blueberries create a magical effect.  After all, who wouldn't love to eat raining blueberries?  The autumn stream seems almost as mesmerizing as jumping into a pile of leaves, and the winter stars bring a soft sparkly light to the winter sky.  This is a sweet yet simple story, that leaves the reader feeling warm and cozy. 

Professional Review:
Henkes returns to the artistic style of his Caldecott Medal winner, Kitten's First Full Moon (2004), and A Good Day (2007) in another picture-book celebration of simple, pure joy. All winter long, while snow falls outside his den, Old Bear lies silent and still in a deep sleep. In his dreams, though, he's an active explorer who roams the woods, savoring each season's pleasures: spring's blooms, summer's berries, fall's fiery colors, and winter's blazing stars. When Old Bear finally wakes, he finds a glorious and very real spring world. As in so many of Henkes' books, nothing is superfluous. Every word, line, color choice, and composition element feels essential and fits beautifully into a common theme. The circle of the seasons, so clearly illustrated in the exuberant images, is echoed throughout the book, even in the text's cyclical rhythms: "Old Bear slept and dreamed, dreamed and slept." The elemental words and graceful pacing make this a perfect read-aloud for preschoolers. They'll want to linger over the scenes of Old Bear's whimsical dreams, rendered in bold outlines and color washes that move with the seasons from pastel spring through icy-blue winter. Young children already know what Old Bear discovers: the lines between imagined and real worlds are blurry, and each place is filled with wonderment. 

Engberg, G. (2008, June 1-15). [Review of the book Old Bear, by K. Henkes]. Booklist, 104, 79. Retrieved from http://www.booklistonline.com/

Library Uses: Old Bear is a perfect book to use in conjunction with a story time about hibernation or about the seasons.  It would be fun to follow it with stations, which would allow the children to experience a bit of each season.  The children could role play being a seed and growing into a giant flower in the spring, eat real blueberries for the summer, Make leaf etchings for the fall, and make pastel colored snowflakes for the winter.