Publishers Weekly
The popular Bear first introduced in Bear Snores On is back for a fourth episode, headed to the swimming hole and looking for a buddy in Bear's New Friend by Karma Wilson, illus. by Jane Chapman. Youngsters will enjoy the play on the friend who's hiding (an owl) and the repetition of Bear's "Who?" Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 2-A mystery character is introduced in this fourth book about Bear and his friends. One summer morning, the cub heads out to play. He hears someone in the tree and thinks it might be his friend Mouse. But Mouse arrives and eliminates that possibility. So begins the guessing game that makes up the rhyming text as, page by page, the various woodland animals come on the scene narrowing the choices of the creature's identity. The refrain "And the Bear asks, `Who?'" gives readers a heavy-handed clue, but not until the end does this shy newcomer make his appearance. Chapman's acrylic illustrations are as soft and cuddly as ever and the familiar rhythm works well for reading aloud. While this isn't the strongest of the titles, Bear's many fans won't want to miss it.-Julie Roach, Cambridge Public Library, MA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
FEB/MAR 08 - AudioFile
On a fine summer's day, who would not be headed off to the swimming hole with Bear and his friends? But one creature has not been lured out of his hole, and the friends take it upon themselves to find out who and why. Mouse and Hare, Crow and Wren and Badger gather to hear a tentative, "Who?" It’s hard to have a finer narrator than John McDonough, especially when the main story’s character is a bear. His gruff, friendly voice and deliberate pacing enliven Wilson’s summer tale, enticing listeners to be attentive. McDonough delights in Wilson's playful rhymes by emphasizing them in a fun way. A.R. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine
