 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
The New Bear at School
- By Carrie Weston
- Genre: Picture Book
Common Sense Media says
Cuddly bear tale about fitting in at a new school.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this sweet book has a good message and absolutely nothing offensive. Even the school bullies come in the form of rather cute swashbuckling rats.
What's the story?
Boris is a very big, very furry, very scary-looking grizzly bear and so he has a tough time making friends. Things are made worse when he makes several blunders on his first day of school -- breaking a chair, tearing a book, and accidentally scaring his classmates. Will they be able to see past his appearance to the lovable bear who lies underneath? When the school bullies arrive on the playground, Boris gets the opportunity to redeem himself in the eyes of his classmates.
Is it any good?
While this is a predictable book for parents who have likely read versions of this story many times before, kids will get a kick out of Boris' trials and will be surprised and pleased by the final outcome. Even the bullies are swashbuckling rats who add excitement without ever crossing the line to real worry. The pictures could undermine the idea that anyone could possibly be scared of Boris -- he's just adorable -- but he is convincingly big and the other animal classmates are dwarfed in comparison.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about what leads us to judge by appearances. Perhaps parents have a story of when they, too, judged a book by its cover only to learn that they nearly missed the opportunity to make a new friend.
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| Author: | Carrie Weston |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Picture Book |
| Publisher: | Scholastic Inc. |
| Publication date: | July 1, 2008 |
| Number of pages: | 32 |
| Hardcover price: | $12.99 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 4 - 7 |
| Read aloud: | 4 |
| Read alone: | 8 |
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