The Very Cranky Bear

The Very Cranky Bear

Written and illustrated by: Nick Bland

Scholastic Australia 2008

21 pages

            I chose this book because one of my teachers recommended it to me. It has many different things you could incorporate into lessons. The story involves four animal friends who run into a very cranky bear while looking for a place to play. They do everything they can to cheer him up but nothing seems to work. Finally one animal realizes the one thing the bear needs.

            Nick Bland is the author and illustrator of this book. The illustrations are filled with many details. If I were to just flip through this book I would be laughing without having to read any words. The colors used are dark reds, browns, gold, and green. The pictures are very detailed and capture each character’s mood. The shapes help to emphasize what animal is in charge and what animal is more neglected.

I would definitely recommend this book. It was such a fun read for me and I think students would love it also. This book would be a great read with children five and up. There are several things in this book you could use in the classroom.  The Very Cranky Bear is a great book to incorporate in a rhyming lesson. The rhymes are cute and very funny. “So zebra fetched a tin of mud and lion, some grass of gold. Moose got two big branches, and sheep… well, sheep got cold.” The book also has great vocabulary in it, such as, main and antlers. The Very Cranky Bear contains so many great adjectives in it like marvelous, cranky, and fantastic. My favorite thing about the book is the great moral twist at the end.