Wendell and Florence Minor, who previously collaborated on If You Were a Penguin, return to the form in this poetic picture-book examination of various bear species. One or two two-page spreads are devoted to each kind of bear, with a rhyming description of their activities and/or appearance. An afterword gives more information about each bear mentioned in the main text.

Like its predecessor, If You Were a Panda Bear pairs a simple but engaging text with lovely, appealing artwork. Young bears lovers will be particularly delighted with this one. I did wonder, as I was reading, why the Minors used a specific kind of bear in their title here, when they intended to discuss all kinds of bears. They didn't do that in the previous book (If You Were a Penguin), and I think this is preferable, as it doesn't lead readers to pick up the book, thinking it is about panda bears specifically. Despite that quibble, I enjoyed the book, and think it would work quite well as an introduction to bears for very young children. I don't know that the artwork was quite as humorous as in the penguin title, but it was still quite beautiful. Recommended to young bear and animal lovers. ( )

This books uses the repeating pattern of "if you were..." and then tells about different types of bears. It devotes two pages to short, fun facts about each type of bear along with beautiful illustrations of each. I had no idea there was such a thing as a sun and moon bear! It tells a little about their diet or where they live or how big they are. It would be a beginning non-fiction book for probably Kindergarten through 2nd grade.

Includes Fun Bear Facts along with Bear Sources and Websites ( )

A simple, beautifully illustrated introduction to different kinds of bears. ( )

brief telling about different kinds of bears, ends with teddy bears, nice illustrations ( )