Bears don't wear shoes by Sharon Davey

Suzie and her family have moved house, but everyone is so busy unpacking and moving things into various rooms that no one has time for Suzie.  She asks Mum for a biscuit, asks Dad for some time to play with her and asks Grandma if she will play dress ups, but everyone brushes her aside, carrying their load of things to put away. 

Suzie decides to do something about this and advertises for a friend. Initially no one applies for the job, but one morning a bear appears. She takes him inside and interviews him to see if he is suitable. She asks him if he likes biscuits and he gobbles down the whole plateful. She asks if he likes to paint and judging by the mess of paint over that page, yes he does! She puts Grandpa’s hat on his head to see if he likes dress ups and then hands him a pair of shoes. At this he baulks and roars at her that bears do not wear shoes. No matter what she does, he is adamant that he does not wear shoes. She has a problem to solve.

A wonderful solution will greet the reader already intrigued with the warmly funny laugh out loud illustrations, showing the two trying to overcome their problem.  And the lovely family oriented resolution at the end will be another tick for an audience already smiling with loads of good humour. The endpapers too will delight readers as they see another layer of story with the first endpaper revealing a house with little adornment contrasting with the last endpaper showing the detritus of a family having moved in.

And visual jokes abound, allowing readers to peruse the detail on each page, happily pointing out what they have found, sharing their finds with others.

Concentrating on problem solving, friendship and family, this book will have wide appeal.

A book trailer is available as well as teacher's notes. 

Themes: Bears, Family, Friendship, Problem solving.

Fran Knight