Bear’s next project is her most ambitious one yet, she’s going to build a house! But can she and her friends finish before winter sets in?
The bear from Maxwell Eaton’s Bear Goes Sugaring returns in this fascinating follow-up, and this time, she’s going to build a house entirely from scratch! To do so, she’ll need time, careful planning, sturdy materials, and a whole lot of help from…most of her friends.
Readers will see a house built before their very eyes as they are guided through detailed descriptions of each step in the construction process, from site selection, to chopping trees to make wooden planks, to laying down foundations, insulation, and power and plumbing. Key to the process is Bear’s attention to sustainable architecture, an excellent lesson for kids who want to learn about clean energy and sustainable planning. As in Bear Goes Sugaring, readers will love Maxwell Eaton’s humorous approach to a serious subject and the antics and funny dialogue that Bear’s animal cohorts contribute.
Author’s note. Further Reading. Full-color illustrations were created with watercolor and graphite pencil.
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K-Gr 3-The friendly, casually dressed bear from Bear Goes Sugaring wants to build a house in the mountains. The house requires a foundation, blueprints, plumbing, a frame, and a roof. Bear will need the help of a lot of friends, such as Woodchuck, the foundation expert, to complete this project before winter. In pastel-colored cartoon drawings, Eaton takes on the task of explaining house-building to a young audience. Meticulously planned-out illustrations detail each step of the process. For example, three panels display the different foundation choices Bear can make. Though not exhaustive, Eaton incorporates aspects of sustainable building practices. Bear's water will come from a natural spring, flow downhill into the house, and exit to a leach field. Trees cleared for sunlight are lumber. Electricity, stored in batteries, is collected from solar panels. This book invites kids into the process and answers their questions with detailed knowledge and vocabulary. Eaton does this with a tremendous number of facts that never overwhelm readers. While the text will stimulate older elementary students, the anthropomorphic characters may be for a younger reader. Aim this at precocious five-year-olds who won't mind talking forest creatures. VERDICT This solidly constructed instruction is recommended for a narrow but passionate audience.-Richelle Rose