Horrible Bear - Ame Dyckman & Zachariah OHora

1. TITLE PAGE: If you skip past the title page you will miss a very important part of the story! I love how it grabs you right from the beginning!


2. CHARACTERS: Listen, Bear is great in this story, but for me, the little red-haired girl steals the show! I don't know if making her a red-head was the brainchild of Ame or Zacharia but I love, love, love her!


3. LITTLE DETAILS: It's the little things that add so much enjoyment.  Two that stand out for me are Bear's shirt and the part in the story when the little girl shouts, "HORRIBLE BEARS". I don't want to give anything away but watch for this subtle change in the middle of the story.


4. DRAMA, DRAMA, DRAMA: The drama starts right from the beginning and builds, and builds, and builds, until it bursts - so satisfying and fun to read!


5. ILLUSTRATIONS: Every page is fabulously illustrated, again down to the little details but I think my favorite is the end pages. Don't skip them!


Parents: Kids can easily relate to the story and the message! Low word count, too so reading it over and over isn't time consuming. "Can we read it again, Mom?"  "YES!" 

Teachers: Reading with expression - lots and lots of it!

Writers: How to write an ending that leaves you wanting more, build-up the drama