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Bear Hug

 Cover image for Bear hug
Bear Hug
by Katharine McEwen
Templar Books, 2014. Picture Book

A young adult bear forages in the forest just as his Mama and Papa bear taught him. One day he meets another bear and they begin spending time together gathering food and building a den in a cave.  When winter comes they stay together and in spring they emerge with a little bear cub in tow. The bear parents begin to teach their cub the same skills their parents taught them.  This is a lovely simple book about the wonder of the life cycle.  McEwen tells the story with minimal text--only a sentence per page-- and with colorful collage illustrations.  McEwen makes good use of translucent papers in the collage, so that the bears' forest home looks like it has depth and dimension. This book could be enjoyed by preschoolers at home, or used as a read aloud STEM book for kindergarten or first grade classes.

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