My Big Bear, My Little Bear and Me

“If you have a big bear and a little bear, you’ll never lose your way,” declares the confident narrator of this heartwarming translation. With hay-colored pigtails and a pointy nose, the heroine has not just one bear—a jaunty gray stuffed pal—but also a human-size second bear whose face remains savvily obscured beneath a scarf. Over the course of a snowy day, the girl appreciates all her two bears offer. “The big one protects me from the cold,” she says, nestled inside its coat. “The little one helps me to make friends,” she adds, facing a friendly fox. Bonilla’s large-format pencil-and-watercolor illustrations play with perspective and add an element of mystery about big bear to what’s otherwise a straightforward ode to comfort and affection—all that “bears” provide. Ages 3–7. [em](Oct.) [/em]