Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See?

Starred review from June 25, 2007
These clever creators’ final collaboration arrives 40 years after their first, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
, joining two previous bear sequels. Much in the same vein as its predecessors, this appealingly cadenced story introduces a sequence of animals, dramatically yet simply depicted in textured collage art against white backdrops. Readers first spot Baby Bear climbing a tree, responding to the question posed in the title: “I see a red fox slipping by me.” Red Fox in turn spies a flying squirrel gliding by, who sees a mountain goat climbing nearby, who sees a blue heron flying by and so on until a screech owl—gazing wide-eyed at the reader—sees “a mama bear looking at me.” A large-scale image of Mama Bear is followed by a spread revealing what she sees: each of the previously featured animals and (most satisfyingly) “my baby bear looking at me—that’s what I see!” Creative action words and renderings of the various creatures in motion give the book a pleasing energy, while Mama Bear’s obvious delight at finding her cub provides an endearing poignancy. The elegant balance of art, text, emotion and exposition is a Martin and Carle hallmark; they have crafted a lovely finale to an enduring series. Ages 2-8.

August 1, 2007
PreS-Gr 1-This final collaboration by a gifted duo focuses on 10 animals native to America. The language includes actions typical of the creature highlighted"Blue heron, blue heron, what do you see?/I see a prairie dog digging by me." The animals, in colorful collages set against stark white backgrounds, strut, slide, glide, and hoot across the full spreads. A terrific read-aloud destined to rank high with the other titles by Martin and Carle."Linda M. Kenton, San Rafael Public Library, CA"

Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2007
Forty years ago, Martin and a newcomer named Eric Carle launched a cottage industry with their now-beloved classic, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (1967). After narrowing the original books broad purview in two sequels, Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? (1991), about zoo animals, and Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? (2003), about endangered animals, this third sequel continues the thematic approach with an all-American assemblage and attention paid to the continents many regions (a mountain goat, a rattlesnake, and a blue heron are among the creatures depicted). Martins rhythmic text cleaves to the familiar pattern and leads readers from one double-page animal portrait to another, all crisply set against white backgrounds. Adults may appreciate the educational prospects of the North American angle, but the appeal here for the youngest childrenas with the books predecessorswill be in examining the complex, collaged textures within Carles simple forms and in gleefully anticipating the appearance of each critter in the sequence.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)