K-Gr 3
A mouse, bluebird, squirrel, fox, and deer are all enjoying blackberries until Bear stops by for his share of the fruit. All scatter in fear, except the bluebird, who swoops in and takes the last berry right off the bear's paw. The rhyming text and repetition make this an enjoyable read-aloud: "Squirrel skips into the brambles thick./That snacking squirrel gives a great big lick./Slurp! Mmm-mm!/Tweet! Mmm-mm!/Squeak! Mmm-mm! " The illustrations give the fairly realistic animals great facial expressions that work perfectly with the text. The surprise they show when the bear arrives is a comic delight. An especially nice touch is the berry stains on all the faces-except poor Bear's. The last four pages, "For Creative Minds," offer information on blackberries, the food chain, native and nonnative plants, how plants and animals help each other, and a smoothie recipe. This section is for a variety of ages and can easily be modified to fit a specific grade level.-Catherine Callegari, Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NH
