Three Bears in a Boat

by David Soman

Overview

From the co-creator of the New York Times bestselling Ladybug Girl series comes a high seas adventure inspired by the classic picture books Little Bear and Where the Wild Things Are.
 
Three bear siblings break their mother’s favorite blue seashell, and rather than tell her, they decide to set out in their sailboat to find her a new one. On their quest they encounter salty sailors, strange new islands, huge whales, and vast seas but no blue seashells. When a treacherous storm suddenly blows in, the three bears find themselves tossed about in their little boat, far from Mama. What will become of their search, and what will it take to bring them safely home?
 
This read aloud shares its best qualities with classic picture books: breath-taking illustrations, epic adventure, and a subtle message about taking responsibility for your actions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780803739932
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	05/20/2014
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	786,441
Product dimensions:	11.20(w) x 11.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD600L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

David Soman illustrates the Ladybug Girl books, which he also writes with his wife. Mr. Soman comes from a family of artists. He is an instructor at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, as well as at The Mill Street Loft, a non-profit arts education center in the Hudson Valley. He lives with his wife and two kids in upstate New York. This is the first picture book he has written and illustrated himself.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Praise for Three Bears in a Boat:

• "Gorgeous . . . A first purchase for all."—School Library Journal (starred review)

• "Humorous and intelligent—and with watercolor seascapes so luminous that readers will want to jump in—this is a book to be treasured for years to come."—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

• "Breathtaking . . . Beautiful . . . Gentle"—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A beautiful journey you’ll want to return to repeatedly. . . . If you’re looking for a gift book, a bedtime book, or just something uniquely attractive to the eye, seek ye just three little bears. Charm incarnate.”—Elizabeth Bird, A Fuse 8 Production, School Library Journal

A School Library Journal Best Book of 2014
A Kirkus Best Book of 2014

Editorial Reviews

Soman's tale…gets a lift from his big, beautiful watercolors of islands, catboats and some very dramatic waves.

The New York Times - Sarah Harrison Smith

★ 02/24/2014
Soman, co-creator of the bestselling Ladybug Girl series, makes his first solo effort, one that gives his artwork plenty of opportunities to shine. Dash, Theo, and Charlie, three young bears, have broken their mother’s treasured blue shell in an attempt to reach the honey jar on the mantel. Rather than confess (they’re “Afraid of their mama, who, after all, was a bear”), they conspire to replace the shell before she gets home, setting off boldly to search for one in their sailboat. Their journey allows Soman to paint both comic vignettes (the bears meet a dory called “Melville” loaded with dogged-looking whalers and a harpoon) and breathtaking sea scenes as the bears get tossed by the huge green waves of a storm, meet some whales, and, in one particularly beautiful spread, sail along a glittering trail of light on the ocean waves. Soman manages to suggest the gentle colors and textures of old color lithography, giving the pages the feeling of a dog-eared vintage find. Although the artwork draws most of the attention, the understated writing and steady pacing offer solid support. Ages 3–5. (May)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Three Bears in a Boat:

* "Gorgeous . . . A first purchase for all."—School Library Journal (starred review)

* "Humorous and intelligent—and with watercolor seascapes so luminous that readers will want to jump in—this is a book to be treasured for years to come."—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

* "Breathtaking . . . Beautiful . . . Gentle"—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A beautiful journey you’ll want to return to repeatedly. . . . If you’re looking for a gift book, a bedtime book, or just something uniquely attractive to the eye, seek ye just three little bears. Charm incarnate.”—Elizabeth Bird, A Fuse 8 Production, School Library Journal

A School Library Journal Best Book of 2014
A Kirkus Best Book of 2014

From the Publisher

★ 04/01/2014
PreS-Gr 1—Breaking a prized blue seashell while their mother is away and knowing they'll be in big trouble, three mischievous bears set out to sea to find a replacement. The plot is simple, yet the bears don't find what they're looking for immediately. They search, fight with one another, and even get caught in the middle of a storm. Their adventures will keep readers interested, making the story a great read-aloud, and the mother bear will leave readers with an ending that will appease parents everywhere. The gorgeous, bright and detailed illustrations are a perfect fit for the text. A first purchase for all.—Brooke Rasche, La Crosse Public Library, WI

School Library Journal

★ 2014-03-17
Taking a break from Ladybug Girl, Soman uses his watercolors to paint a playful tale of responsibility. When Dash, Charlie and Theo—three sibling bears growing up by the sea—break their mother's treasured blue seashell while attempting to get into the honey pot, they don't 'fess up. They instead sail away in their boat, thinking maybe they can find another shell to replace the broken one before their mother gets home. An old, "salty bear" advises them to sail to a faraway island, but when they get there, there's no shell. A sudden storm, conveyed in a brilliant page turn, helps the quarreling bears realize both their common vulnerability and their culpability, and they sail home, finding a blue shell on their own beach. They apologize to Mama Bear, offering the replacement shell. She forgives them, of course, but with a twist that will make readers smile as they remember another naughty adventurer and his "still hot" dinner. Filled with illustrations that insert lighthearted visual nods to classic books (a boat named Melville is filled with Moby Dick–ish bears, and a raft carries Huckleberry Finn–like bears), this tale is a treat for both eye and ear. Humorous and intelligent—and with watercolor seascapes so luminous that readers will want to jump in—this is a book to be treasured for years to come. (Picture book. 2-8)

Kirkus Reviews

Read More