Sarah Bear & Sweet Sidney - Hardcover

Kindergarten-Grade 2-- Patz adds to the relatively small collection of stories about the changing seasons; in this case, the change from winter to spring. Patz' plump, cartoonlike but lushly drawn Sidney awakens early from hibernation (in a house, but zoological accuracy is not an issue here) and tries to convince "the bump in the bed" that spring has arrived. "It's much too dark," grumbles Sarah. Sidney looks outside and is disappointed when he discovers that Sarah is indeed correct. This vignette is repeated a few more times, with Sidney cleaning and cooking to pass the time, and Sarah refusing to get up. Sidney finally gives up, "mad as a bear can get," and sits down to wait. Of course, he falls asleep, and it's Sarah who announces spring's arrival--not a surprising turn of events, but Patz' bears are sure to be favorites. The text is often, but not always, rhymed; because the rhyme scheme and meter do not follow an ironclad pattern, it's best to practice reading this before reading it to a group of children. --Joanna G. Jones, formerly at Hunterdon County Library, Flemington, NJ
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