Bear Has a Story to Tell
Philip C. Stead, Ill. Erin E. Stead
Stead, P. C. 2012. Bear has a story to tell. NY: Roaring Brook Press.
It is winter time and Bear is getting sleepy. But he has a story to tell! He has many friends in the forest, and so one of them must want to hear his story. Each of his friends however, from the squirrel to the frog, the duck and the mole, are all preparing for winter themselves, and so they do not have time to hear his story. He helps each of them to get ready, and they thank him for his assistance. Finally, it is late in the day and Bear is getting sleepy. So, he goes into hibernation. When Spring finally comes, he wakes up ready to tell his friends his story. He greets each of them and gathers them together to hear his story, but when he is ready to tell it he realizes he’s forgotten it! Winter is a long time for a bear to remember a story. Luckily, his friends help him out with remembering the story. It starts with Bear, who has many friends, and it is winter time, and Bear is getting sleepy.
ATOS Book Level: 2.7
Interest Level: Lower Grades (LG K-3)
Really cute book with beautiful watercolor illustrations that are simplistic in nature. The pages each have only a few sentences on them, making them easy to read. The structure is low, with a chronological order, a single (omniscient) narrator, and a simple narrative structure. The language is also low, being very straightforward and using little to no figurative language. The knowledge demands are also low, requiring very little outside knowledge and focusing on relatable themes (story-telling, friendship, helpfulness).
Curriculum Tie Ins:
Tie ins for students learning about animals that hibernate, and how they prepare for winter. It’s also good for teaching thoughtfulness and helpfulness. Also good for teaching how to tell a story, how Bear’s story was about himself, and can show a conflict/resolution arc. The conflict is that Bear wants to tell his story, and the resolution is that he compromises and waits until his friends are back for Spring.
Gr. 3 English
1.0 General Reading Processes: Comprehension: Students will use a variety of strategies to understand what they read (construct meaning).
1. Develop comprehension skills through exposure to a variety of print and nonprint texts, including traditional print and electronic texts
a. Listen to critically, read, and discuss texts representing diversity in content, culture, authorship, and perspective, including areas such as race, gender, disability, religion, and socioeconomic background
b. *Read a minimum of 25 self-selected and/or assigned books or book equivalents representing various genres
c. Discuss reactions to and ideas/information gained from reading experiences with adults and peers in both formal and informal situations
3.0 Comprehension of Literary Text: Students will read, comprehend, interpret, analyze, and evaluate literary text.
Author’s website: http://philipstead.com/