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Breaking News: Alien Alert
Bears in space! The bears from Breaking Bear Alert and Bears to the Rescue are back, and this time they're extraterrestrial.
When a UFO beams up Baby Bear and abducts the family, the human world goes crazy. Hilarity and chaos ensue as scouts, scientists, street vendors, and the mayor try to put their own spin on the story. Intrepid but bumbling reporter Chad Newsworthy covers it all, searching for the Why did aliens snatch up these animals? ( It's someone special's birthday!)
When a UFO beams up Baby Bear and abducts the family, the human world goes crazy. Hilarity and chaos ensue as scouts, scientists, street vendors, and the mayor try to put their own spin on the story. Intrepid but bumbling reporter Chad Newsworthy covers it all, searching for the Why did aliens snatch up these animals? ( It's someone special's birthday!)
32 pages, Hardcover
Published April 3, 2018
About the author
David Biedrzycki
43 books52 followersIn his early years David created stories for his parents and friends. A commercial artist since 1980, his work has appeared in magazines, newspapers, book covers, billboards and even ice cream boxes. The supermarket is like a gallery of his work.
Now he has now returned to his first love of picture book storytelling. He has illustrated close to 30 books including self-authored and award winning Ace Lacewing, Bug Detective series, Me and My Dragon series and his newest series Breaking News Bear Alert, a Junior Library Guild Selection and winner of book the Illinois Monarch Picture Book Award and the Georgia State Picture Book Award. David travels the world extensively to over 100 schools a year sharing his digital book making process with aspiring young writers, illustrators and readers.
Now he has now returned to his first love of picture book storytelling. He has illustrated close to 30 books including self-authored and award winning Ace Lacewing, Bug Detective series, Me and My Dragon series and his newest series Breaking News Bear Alert, a Junior Library Guild Selection and winner of book the Illinois Monarch Picture Book Award and the Georgia State Picture Book Award. David travels the world extensively to over 100 schools a year sharing his digital book making process with aspiring young writers, illustrators and readers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
September 4, 2024
Sep 4, 1130am ~~ After reading the author's book SumoKitty, I had ordered the sequel SumoPuppy plus a few others that sounded cute. In the Breaking News series, this one appealed to me the most, and I also chose the three Ace Lacewing titles. Naturally, I was tempted to zip through all of them in one go, but I decided I would save the Lacewing books for when I need a big giggle break from the stress of the world.
But I could not resist looking at Alien Alert right away, and I thought it was delightful. The story is simple, but there are inside jokes in the text for the adults in the room. I liked the name of the UFO expert, E. T. Fonehome. lol
Anyway, the illustrations were bright and cheerful, with lots of details to discover, and they told the story clearly. I thought the contrast between the Breaking News banner across the bottom of the pages and the actual action related in the story itself was a clever little dig at the media and its way of capturing attention.
Speaking as a 65 year old kid, I loved this book, and I would imagine that any child would have just as much fun with it as I had. Maybe even more!
But I could not resist looking at Alien Alert right away, and I thought it was delightful. The story is simple, but there are inside jokes in the text for the adults in the room. I liked the name of the UFO expert, E. T. Fonehome. lol
Anyway, the illustrations were bright and cheerful, with lots of details to discover, and they told the story clearly. I thought the contrast between the Breaking News banner across the bottom of the pages and the actual action related in the story itself was a clever little dig at the media and its way of capturing attention.
Speaking as a 65 year old kid, I loved this book, and I would imagine that any child would have just as much fun with it as I had. Maybe even more!
October 4, 2017
A Total Hoot
It's pretty hard for a picture book to score high marks across the board - story, drawings, captions, humor, clever bits for the adults - but this book comes awfully close.
One night an alien spaceship beams up the Bear family, and a wide collection of woods creatures, zoo animals, and farm stock. Chad Newsworthy appears on the scene to broadcast the story live. BIG SPOILER - all the animals return safely; they were taken to the ship for a little alien's birthday party. That's a fine story, not at all scary, and a bit of clever fun.
But here's the best part - the narration of the story is deadpan funny, with some silliness for little readers and some more subtle silliness and wordplay for older readers and parents. The drawings are crisp, clear, colorful and easy for a little guy to understand. (This apparently was done in Adobe Photoshop, so it has that hyper-crisp Pixar CGI sort of look.) The drawings don't just illustrate the story, they sell the story and support all of the jokes. Indeed, these are some of the most expressive picture book drawings I've seen in a while. The kidnapped animals look confused at first, delighted at the party, and happy and tired by the end. The local citizens are puzzled, upset, and then relieved, and some of their expressions are priceless. A group "photo" of some at-the-scene girl scout campers being interviewed for TV manages to capture different girls who are bored, excited, shell-shocked, angry, upset, distracted, or confused. How do you get all of that across in a simple picture book?
So, I picked this up on a lark, because the baby bear looked cute. What I got was a humorous, sly, and entertaining schooling on how to draw a funny picture book. For what it's worth, there are lots of little jokes and throwaway bits in the drawings, (look carefully for the UFO patch on the Scout uniforms), so this book also has a lot of rereadability value, which I think is important for keeping a book in the regular bedtime rotation.
Bottom line - a cheerful and pleasing surprise find. (Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
It's pretty hard for a picture book to score high marks across the board - story, drawings, captions, humor, clever bits for the adults - but this book comes awfully close.
One night an alien spaceship beams up the Bear family, and a wide collection of woods creatures, zoo animals, and farm stock. Chad Newsworthy appears on the scene to broadcast the story live. BIG SPOILER - all the animals return safely; they were taken to the ship for a little alien's birthday party. That's a fine story, not at all scary, and a bit of clever fun.
But here's the best part - the narration of the story is deadpan funny, with some silliness for little readers and some more subtle silliness and wordplay for older readers and parents. The drawings are crisp, clear, colorful and easy for a little guy to understand. (This apparently was done in Adobe Photoshop, so it has that hyper-crisp Pixar CGI sort of look.) The drawings don't just illustrate the story, they sell the story and support all of the jokes. Indeed, these are some of the most expressive picture book drawings I've seen in a while. The kidnapped animals look confused at first, delighted at the party, and happy and tired by the end. The local citizens are puzzled, upset, and then relieved, and some of their expressions are priceless. A group "photo" of some at-the-scene girl scout campers being interviewed for TV manages to capture different girls who are bored, excited, shell-shocked, angry, upset, distracted, or confused. How do you get all of that across in a simple picture book?
So, I picked this up on a lark, because the baby bear looked cute. What I got was a humorous, sly, and entertaining schooling on how to draw a funny picture book. For what it's worth, there are lots of little jokes and throwaway bits in the drawings, (look carefully for the UFO patch on the Scout uniforms), so this book also has a lot of rereadability value, which I think is important for keeping a book in the regular bedtime rotation.
Bottom line - a cheerful and pleasing surprise find. (Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
September 26, 2018
This book is adorable animals are abducted by aliens and humans are left wondering what happened and if the aliens will return the animals! The book is told like a news program super cute Declan laughed the entire book
August 12, 2021
When an alien spaceship snatches up bears, moose, rabbits, and squirrels, everyone is concerned. But it isn’t only the meadow animals; the aliens also took farm animals and zoo animals.
The Animal Rescue League sends messages into space demanding the animals’ safe return; the mayor interrupts his campaigning to say how much he cares about the animals.
And then the alien spaceship returns. Why?
This story, presented in the format of a news broadcast, is both frenzied and hysterical. While everyone worries about the animals, the abducted animals don’t seem to be in any danger. [No spoiler here to tell you why.] There are clever clues in the Adobe Photoshop pictures and the runner along the bottom of each page is often hilarious.
The target audience for this picture book is the young reader, ages four through eight [preschool through third grade]. The colorful pictures add to the telling of the tale [be sure to look at the pictures bracketing the beginning and the ending of the story]. This book is one that parents are likely to enjoy as much as their young readers [who are sure to be laughing far too hard to go to sleep].
Recommended.
The Animal Rescue League sends messages into space demanding the animals’ safe return; the mayor interrupts his campaigning to say how much he cares about the animals.
And then the alien spaceship returns. Why?
This story, presented in the format of a news broadcast, is both frenzied and hysterical. While everyone worries about the animals, the abducted animals don’t seem to be in any danger. [No spoiler here to tell you why.] There are clever clues in the Adobe Photoshop pictures and the runner along the bottom of each page is often hilarious.
The target audience for this picture book is the young reader, ages four through eight [preschool through third grade]. The colorful pictures add to the telling of the tale [be sure to look at the pictures bracketing the beginning and the ending of the story]. This book is one that parents are likely to enjoy as much as their young readers [who are sure to be laughing far too hard to go to sleep].
Recommended.
March 15, 2019
Age: K-2nd grade
Animals: Forest, Zoo, Farm
Aliens abduct a variety of animals as the humans of Earth try to solve the mystery of why they did it. Told in the format of a breaking news cast (a familiar style of Biedrzycki), readers will have a great time reading aloud the distinct personalities of those being interviewed while the mystery keeps the listeners engaged until the silly reveal at the end.
Side note: The inside of the book cover, both at the beginning and the end, add to the storyline. As a library book with a taped down book jacket, this makes for an unfortunate cover up.
Animals: Forest, Zoo, Farm
Aliens abduct a variety of animals as the humans of Earth try to solve the mystery of why they did it. Told in the format of a breaking news cast (a familiar style of Biedrzycki), readers will have a great time reading aloud the distinct personalities of those being interviewed while the mystery keeps the listeners engaged until the silly reveal at the end.
Side note: The inside of the book cover, both at the beginning and the end, add to the storyline. As a library book with a taped down book jacket, this makes for an unfortunate cover up.
November 29, 2017
Read the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I found it to be completely charming. The artwork was so colorful and captivating. The book is obviously a child's picture book but it was a good read. It wasn't one of those annoying stories grownups can't bear to read over and over. The story was about aliens coming to earth and taking some animals with them. And the world anxiously awaits what will happen next.
October 21, 2018
“According to eyewitnesses, last night an alien spaceship snatched up bears, moose, rabbits, and squirrels from this very meadow.”
Even animals from the zoo have been taken. But why would aliens want to take animals? Who else are they going to party with?
Hilarious illustrations.
Even animals from the zoo have been taken. But why would aliens want to take animals? Who else are they going to party with?
Hilarious illustrations.
January 10, 2019
This will be a fun story for students to read to themselves. The story is told through dialog (word bubbles), news headlines, and pictures. It is not a wordless picture book, but the basic story can easily be understood through the pictures alone. Readers and pre-readers will enjoy this book!
May 8, 2019
The aliens have beamed up a selection of animals, and the humans (from girl scouts to farmers to tchotchke sellers), as reported on the TV news, go berserk. What will the first contact be like? Suitable more for K-2, not a standard storytime.
August 26, 2020
Fans of animals and UFOs will probably love this funny story, about aliens in UFOs who capture animals from a park, zoo & farm. There was also a small joke about politics on one of the spreads, when the mayor, aptly named Luke At Me gives a speech. I really enjoyed this one.
November 25, 2017
Description:
FRONTLIST | On Sale Date: April 3, 2018
9781580898041, 1580898041
Hardcover
$17.99 USD, $21.99 CAD
Juvenile Fiction / Animals / Bears
Ages 4 to 8, Grades P to 3
Bears in space! The bears from Breaking News: Bear Alert and Bears to the Rescue are back, and this time they’re extraterrestrial.
When a UFO beams up Baby Bear and abducts the family, the human world goes crazy. Hilarity and chaos ensue as scouts, scientists, street vendors, and the mayor try to put their own spin on the story. Intrepid but bumbling reporter Chad Newsworthy covers it all, searching for the truth: Why did aliens snatch up these animals? (Hint: It’s someone special’s birthday!)
Story Locale: Small Town, USA
Series Overview: Stories of wacky animal encounters are told as breaking TV news reports.
MY BOOK REVIEW!
This is hilarious! I absolutely love the graphics! They are colorful, enticing, laughable, clear, brilliant and fun! The illustrations are so well done, and the speech bubbles are clear and precise, this graphic novel is a treasure to own! I highly recommend it!
The story is entertaining, well plotted and ends with a bang!
This book gives a whole new meaning to "Party Animal!"
Perfect entertainment for the times!
I give this book:
5 Stars for concept and production. Golden apple for illustrations/graphics. Gold cup for entertainment value! Well done!
FRONTLIST | On Sale Date: April 3, 2018
9781580898041, 1580898041
Hardcover
$17.99 USD, $21.99 CAD
Juvenile Fiction / Animals / Bears
Ages 4 to 8, Grades P to 3
Bears in space! The bears from Breaking News: Bear Alert and Bears to the Rescue are back, and this time they’re extraterrestrial.
When a UFO beams up Baby Bear and abducts the family, the human world goes crazy. Hilarity and chaos ensue as scouts, scientists, street vendors, and the mayor try to put their own spin on the story. Intrepid but bumbling reporter Chad Newsworthy covers it all, searching for the truth: Why did aliens snatch up these animals? (Hint: It’s someone special’s birthday!)
Story Locale: Small Town, USA
Series Overview: Stories of wacky animal encounters are told as breaking TV news reports.
MY BOOK REVIEW!
This is hilarious! I absolutely love the graphics! They are colorful, enticing, laughable, clear, brilliant and fun! The illustrations are so well done, and the speech bubbles are clear and precise, this graphic novel is a treasure to own! I highly recommend it!
The story is entertaining, well plotted and ends with a bang!
This book gives a whole new meaning to "Party Animal!"
Perfect entertainment for the times!
I give this book:
5 Stars for concept and production. Golden apple for illustrations/graphics. Gold cup for entertainment value! Well done!
February 11, 2021
Genre: Modern Fantasy
Grade: 4-6
This book is a fantasy about the possibility of an alien taking different types of animals and it shows how the world has responded to it. This would be a good book for students who enjoy thinking outside of the book and looking at books that explore.
Grade: 4-6
This book is a fantasy about the possibility of an alien taking different types of animals and it shows how the world has responded to it. This would be a good book for students who enjoy thinking outside of the book and looking at books that explore.
Read
May 11, 2021Another great sequel in the “Breaking News” series about those intrepid bears by David Biedrzycki! Readers will enjoy the storyline that begins from inside front cover and has a story within a story....you just need to pay attention to the illustrations!
Read
October 14, 2021We read this aloud for spaceship day k-3rd grade and it was fine, but kids don't know what breaking news is, so I had to work hard to make sure they understood the story and the humor and were engaged. Clever book, adults will appreciate it for sure.
January 3, 2018
Breaking news...animals have be abducted by aliens and the world is in a uproar.
Funny, cleaver, and fantastically illustrated. Breaking News: Alien Alert has it all!
Funny, cleaver, and fantastically illustrated. Breaking News: Alien Alert has it all!
May 2, 2018
Loved it!
May 5, 2018
Fun, lots of interesting stuff happening in the illustrations. Makes a good read aloud - but need to allow students a chance to look at illustrations closer and longer.
May 12, 2018
I love these books - and this one is as fabulous as the last two, if not better! =)
May 29, 2018
Loved the illustrations...very engaging. The story is full of excitedness, like a breaking news story would be.
June 8, 2018
So many cute 'easter eggs' in here! I love the names of the people... look closely and you'll catch why. ;)
June 11, 2018
Cute story, but not as clever as Bear Alert.
July 8, 2018
This is a cute book, kind of reminded me of a new age Goodnight Moon.
August 18, 2018
Aliens abduct animals from all over this small town, come to find out maybe they aren't as scary as people think.
October 5, 2018
3 stars from me; 4 stars from my 5 year old
November 7, 2018
Fun read.
January 14, 2019
This book tries way too hard and still doesn't live up to its potential.
September 29, 2019
This book was about a 2.5 star book for my daughter and I. The illustrations were very cute, but we just did not like the ending. Sadly, we did not find the ending to be cute, surprising, or funny.
March 16, 2020
Super cute
April 1, 2020
This book is written like there is Breaking News on TV. It is also written in comic book style, so the kids have to pay attention and follow all of the bubbles.
January 26, 2023
As an “X-Files” fan, this is very cute. Fun. I wish…
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews