The Bear Said Please

Jacque Duffy

Wombat Books, 2014

hbk., RRP $A18.99

9781921632945

“’Growl,’ said the bear. “Growl,’ said his tummy. ‘Hmmmm,’ thought the bear.  I need some honey.” And so he sets out to find some through a series of rhymes whose meaning is made clear through clever text positioning and delightful watercolour pictures.  Eventually he finds what he is looking for, but it is guarded by angry bees for Bear has forgotten his manners.

Getting little ones to say “please” and “thank you” is a struggle known to all parents and this sweet story is a great way to demonstrate what might happen if you forget.  You certainly don’t get what you want!  But apart from that, it’s also a great book to engage our youngest readers because the rhymes make it a predictable text which makes it so easy for them to join in in a shared reading session, and then, together with the clear, engaging pictures encourage them to try reading it to themselves.   Even the size of the book (23omm x 200mm) is just right for their hands as they start to learn about the joy of story, concepts about print, and early reading behaviours. 

I can’t wait to share it with Miss 3.