Review: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr., illustrated by Eric Carle. 1992 (reprinting, second edition, 25^th anniversary edition, originally printed in 1967). 32 pgs. New York, NY: Henry Holt & Company. 9780805017441. Format reviewed: Hardcover.

Annotation: Children see a series of animals, each a different color, and their teacher.

Reaction: The beauty of Brown Bear is that the reader is told what they will see before they even see it. Once the page is turned, they see the animal and color, and this is reinforced with the text on the page. While there are some silly combinations- like a blue horse and a purple cat- children, especially my own, love reading this book over and over. This was the first book illustrated by Eric Carle, who established his unique style, which at the time was revolutionary.

Primary early literacy skills: Narrative skills. Brown Bear focuses on description, even before showing it. After a few reads, children will likely pick up the story themselves will enjoy reading it to adults.  

Recommended ages: 1 and up.

Tags/themes: Concept- color, Animals.  

Author site/additional titles: www.billmartinjr.com

Illustrator site/additional titles: www.eric-carle.com