Picture Book no. 20: A Visitor for Bear



A Visitor for Bear

by Bonny Becker
Illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton

Genre: Picture Book  Sub-Genre: Fiction

Themes: Friendship, loneliness, cheer, humor, persistence

Primary Characters: Bear and Mouse
Secondary Characters: n/a

Awards:

"A Visitor for Bear" won the E.B. White Read Aloud Award!

"A Visitor for Bear" won ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year for Picture Books!

"A Visitor for Bear" received a Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Text. The Golden Kite Award is the only award presented to children's book authors and artists by their peers.

source: http://www.bonnybecker.com/

In the beginning of this book, we meet Bear, a grumpy loner who has a "No Visitors Allowed" sign on his front door! One day, a mouse comes along and asks to come in for a visit; Bear points out the sign and states in no uncertain terms that he doesn't care for company. The mouse, however, then "pops up" as Bear reaches in the cabinet to get a teacup! Each time Bear turns around, Mouse is somewhere new, waiting for him. Finally, Bear grudgingly agrees to let Mouse stay for tea, and a friendship is born as he appreciates Mouse's company at the table. This is a heartwarming story about making new friends, and letting other people share our lives. We all have our "comfort zones", but this book is a good, friendly reminder to us to come out of them once in awhile! I would use this book in a class of younger elementary-grade students, perhaps as part of a guidance lesson on making new friends, or at the beginning of school to emphasize to my class the importance of having friends.