Author/Illustrator Website: www.emilygravett.com
Medium: pencil and watercolor
Awards and Honors: A SLJ Best Book of the Year, An ALA Notable Children's Book, A Bulletin Blue Ribbon Book, A Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Book of the Year, A Publisher's Weekly Best Book of the Year, One of New York Public Library's 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
Audience: 0 and up
Annotation:
Using only 5 words, a bear and three pieces of fruit, this book explores colors, shapes and language.
Personal Reaction:
Orange, pear, apple, bear.
This book uses these four words, arranging and rearranging them to create a simple and playful story for very young children. With delicate washes of watercolors on white pages, Gravett first shows each object on its own page. It's simple enough, but Gravett then begins to combine or rearrange the words, adding or dropping commas, to change up the meaning entirely. One spread shows a pear the color of autumn leaves and a very round, very green bear- "Orange pear. Apple bear". As the book continues, the bear begins to juggle and then eat the fruits. The back end pages show the cores and peels of the consumed fruits.
This book has immense appeal, both for Gravett's cleverly simple word games and her loose and lovely watercolors. A great choice for beginning readers, as well as very young children.
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