Never Ask a Bear

by Louise Bonnett-Rampersaud, Doris Barrette (Illustrator)

You can ask a bear over to play, but don't expect him to know the rules! He'll bang on doors, stretch your favorite tutu, throw the ball too hard, slurp water from the sink, splatter cookie dough with his paws, and even scare your little sister. With this helpful and hilarious guidebook, you'll know just what to do when you-know-who comes a-knocking!

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Humor, Counting, Fiction, Plays

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Kathryn]

This reminds me of "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" -- but it's not as good. Maybe it was just me, but "Never Ask a Bear" seems to have a more negative tone and the things the bear does are more random whereas "Mouse/Cookie" all ties together in such a fun way. I *think* we are supposed to assume by the end that the kids actually like the bear's antics, but I guess I just wanted there to be more fun along the way. The illustrations also didn't wow me, even though I loved them in "Thanks for Thanksgiving" (sorry links not working).

[McKenna]

Genre: Fiction
Age: K - 5
Illustrations: I loved the pictures in this book they were very fun and made the bear seem bigger than life.
Gist: This story is about a boy that has some rules before you have a play date with a bear. He goes through all the rules and then explains why this rule was put in place. Then once you get to the end of the book he tells you that even though you have all these rules you can still have fun and invite your friends.
Curriculum Connection: This book can be used to talking about making rules, but also having a purpose for those rules.
Warnings: This may lead kids to not invite others that are like this bear.

[Sandy]

This was cute and some of it was fun and silly but I didn't think there was that much to the book. Little kids will like the rhyming and the pictures.

[Brianna Osborne]

B loved it, Dad and I thought it was long and boring.

[Anthony]

A helpful, humorous and cautionary tale told in rhyme containing ten rules to follow when and if you decide to invite a bear over to your house to play. You've been warned.

[Anayssa Pulido]

This is a cute, easy read story for children preschool to first grade. It has a lot of if/then rhythm so it is great to teach cause and effect. For example, if you ask a bear to close your door, he'll slam it, bang it, push it and it will end up in your yard. It has a fun rhyme throughout the story which also makes it a catchy short story. It is a pretty silly story overall because you get to see illustrations of the bear doing crazy things like dressing up, baking, etc. Overall, it is great for entertainment and i think it would be a good read aloud for young children.

[Anna J.]

Never Ask a Bear by Louise Bonnett- Rampersaud is picture book that gives a list of ten rules to keep in mind if a person asks a bear into his or her home. This story is written in a rhyming pattern and describes how a bear will do everything wrong because he does not know the correct way to do it such as pushing the door so hard that it falls into the front yard or getting a drink by slurping water from the sink. This book though imaginative and silly was not that funny in my opinion. Barnes and Noble recommends this book for children three to six.

[Jennifer]

This was a simple read and would be good for grades pre-k through 1st. It has an if/then rhythm through out the book which could be used in teaching cause and effect. This could even be used in explaining before & after. My younger brother used to struggle with this concept & cause & effect writing requires you to understand this. The pictures are nice and the text reminded me of "If you give a mouse a cookie."

[Jess Brown]

This book reminded me of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie: it has the same if/then set-up to it, and of course the "if" always produces an awful "then." Ten rules for having a bear over to play make the format for the story, and they're cutsie, goofy, and rhyme-y. Not much wows in this book, but it's still a cute one. Appropriate for preschoolers.

[Heidi-Marie]

The book was all right overall. I didn't quite like the ending. The rhyming made the text move. And it was fun to see the bear make such a mess of so many things. Kids would enjoy that. Could work in a preschool storytime, but I'm not sure I'd read it well enough. Best for me to keep it as a lap-read or read-along.

[Tam]

This book was okay for my 4-year-old. He thought some of the rules were funny but most of the time we had to talk about them. Some he didn't understand (Rule #2 - Don't ask a bear to "Please take a seat" because the bear thinks that means he eats it).

[Jennifer]

I think is a fabulous children's book. We ended up checking this out from the library and got a lot of enjoyment out of it. My six year old loved it! You should definitely check this out if you have kids!

[Marge]

friend to play with

[Amanda]

This was cute and kind of fun, but didn't seem realistic or to have any kind of lesson which is why I've rated it as I have.

[MissInformation]

Counts out the 10 rules of things you should never ask a bear to do-play dress up, make cookies, etc.- with silly pictures an d rhyming text about the disasters that will ensue.

OK for Story Time.

[John]

Another FANTASTIC read for youngsters!

[Rachel]

Silly fun, Illustrations have nice depth.

[Carrie]

Cute

[Sarah]

A fun read for preschoolers about the things a bear will do, they are all silly and exaggerated, and the illustrations are a nice match. I think it would make a nice read aloud.

[SerenaBeReading]

This was cute. Wasn't my favorite but I could see myself reading it to my future kid(s).

[Annabella]

Re read July 2014

[Christyweber1]

natalie got a litt bored with this one

[Karen]

Um... this book wants to be cute in a "If You Give A Mouse a Cookie" way, but it isn't. It feels stiff, derivative, and unoriginal, and it lacks Felicia Bond's delightful illustrations.

[Paula]

Ten rhyming rules explain why bears do not make good playmates.