Julia Donaldson (text), Rebecca Cobb (illus.), The Everywhere Bear, Pan Macmillan, 14 Feb 2017, 32pp., $24.99 (hbk), ISBN: 9781447280736
The Everywhere Bear lives on the shelf of Class One. But this lucky little ted spends very little time there as a different student takes him home each weekend.
The students are cleverly introduced to the reader early in the piece using a rhyming roll call. This is followed by a montage of lovingly drawn Polaroids splashed across the page showing the places the Everywhere Bear has been and the things he’s seen with his classmates.
However, it’s not until he is dropped from a school bag that the real adventure begins for the Everywhere Bear. From being washed down a drain to falling from the beak of a seagull, the Everywhere Bear is painted, thrown, carried, driven and squashed into the most unlikely situations that lead him back to Class One via the local library of course!
Julia Donaldson’s new adventure story is a lovely addition to her renowned repertoire of picture books. While the plot itself is not particularly unique, the rhythmic flow of language sets an appealing pace for the young reader who can follow the rhyme and predict the coming text. Couple this with Rebecca Cobb’s cute, colourful illustrations and The Everywhere Bear is a handy addition to the Early Stage One and Stage One classroom library, particularly if introducing a class bear!
Reviewed by Katie Mineeff
