Beware, Beware of the Big Bad Bear!

K-Gr 2—Maw Maw wants to bake some biscuits for her family, but she doesn't have any sody sallyraytus (baking soda), so she sends Beau off to the store. As he leaves, she warns him to beware of the big, bad bear that lives under the bridge. Needless to say, he doesn't beware and is quickly gobbled up. Poor Maw Maw keeps sending family members to the store for more sody sallyraytus, and no one ever comes back-they haven't heeded her warnings. And when Maw Maw goes to the store herself, she is eaten just as quickly. It's up to a lone squirrel to save the day… and the biscuits. It is obvious that de Las Casas is a storyteller-this folktale can be easily read aloud, along with a repeated chorus. It has dramatic moments galore, including each time one of the family is consumed by the bear. The font is fairly small and light in color, which can hinder reading aloud, but this can be overcome with a little practice. Gentry shows a sanitized version of the bear gobbling the people, but he is big (filling most pages) and has sharp, ferocious teeth. Many of the illustrations of the family seem pale and washed-out, almost the same color as the backgrounds. The bear has the most personality of any of the characters. De Las Casas adds a note about the origins of the tale and a biscuit recipe to help tempt readers.—Susan E. Murray, formerly at Glendale Public Library, AZ