Little Bear is off on another adventure when he awakens from his winter hibernation to discover his family has gone missing. From Benjamin Chaud, a Kirkus Reviews Best Children’s Book of the Year award author, comes another adventure of Little Bear in The Bear’s Surprise.

As with the other two previous books this book will take up more than a book shelf and will have your little one looking to solve the mystery for Little Bear. You know the illustrations are well done when you have to hunt for the cut outs in the pages before you can discover where Little Bear will have to go next. I found I could not read this book quickly or just once. I marveled at the minute details found within the illustrations and the humor found within some of the drawings. I never thought I would see a sketch of Lewis Carroll’s famous characters in an adventure of Little Bear. (I won’t tell you on what page–you will have to discover this on your own!)

In the Classroom:

This is a great book for the younger children who have higher level reading skills. I like to hand younger children interactive books when they can read on their own instead of having a classroom of 25 all yelling at you at once. This is a wonderfully illustrated book offering larger vocabulary with adventure throughout. For first grade one key component is to “read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension” (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.1.4.) If you have a teacher’s aide, or better yet, a teenager who comes to volunteer in the classroom, have them sit down with your high level reader and have them read it out loud to the teenager. This is a wonderful opportunity for your reader to show off their skills!

The Bear’s Surprise by Benjamin Chaud ( Chronicle Books | 9781452140285 | September 15, 2015)