Mystery

This was a wonderful chapter book for any fan of the Berenstain Bear book series, which I definitely am. One thing that I love about all these books, is that they all teach an important and clear message that is relatable and important to any child. Children will all witness or interact with at some point in their lives, someone with a disability. This book is great for teachers to have in the classroom because it teaches the readers about equality and treating different people the same in a fun and humorous way. One passage from the book that I really liked was the part when Harry, the bear with the handicap and must sit in a wheelchair, said that “everyone has a handicap.” It was just really great to see them addressing the issue of bullying in schools and discrimination and having this one child teach the whole school a lesson on treating people with equality and respect. It was also great that they said that just because someone might not have a physical disability, that everyone has a handicap. No one is perfect in life, and that is a great idea to introduce to young readers. One thing I really enjoyed from this particular story as well is that the child with a disability was very insecure and bitter about his disability at the beginning of the book. It was interesting to see his character development and how he learned to accept himself, as well as teach others to accept him as well. Finally, although this book was a chapter book, the book still contained pictures every couple of pages to add to the depth of the story. It was great to see the Berenstain’s classic illustrations throughout the book because I think it added a lot of authenticity. ( )

Review: This book is a great beginners chapter book. There was a great message behind the story. It also had little illustrations on every couple of pages that gave the reader a visual to go along with while reading. The story was well thought out and geared towards children. The story also has a great conflict and resolution.

Summary: This book is about a little bear named Harry. He is in a wheelchair and is new in town. The other children are very curious about how he got in the wheelchair and what he is like. Some of the children try and be nice to Harry but he is very mean and doesn't like people asking him about his handicap. All of the students ask Harry if he needs help with anything and this makes him angrier. The school bully Too-Tall starts calling him names like wheels and crippled. Finally Too-Tall challenges Harry to a basketball game so he can make fun of him for not being able to walk. Harry agrees but only if Too-Tall plays in a wheelchair. Little did Too-Tall know, Harry was the champion of wheelchair basketball at Big Bear City School. Too-Tall and Harry end up playing the game and realizing that they have a lot in common and become great friends.

Argument: This book was very enjoyable to read. The story was very cute and also taught a lesson. There is a clear conflict and resolution. I have read The Berenstain Bears before but didn't know there were chapter books. I was pleasantly surprised.

The moral of the story is to never underestimate anyone. The bears at school all think that Harry can't do anything because he was in a wheelchair. The children were surprised when he was able to do things by himself and challenged Too-Tall to a basketball game. ( )

I really liked this book because of the main message and the lesson it teaches children. This book is about a new bear that moves to the neighborhood and is disabled and has to use a wheelchair. All of the cubs in the neighborhood were curious about him and wanted to know how he got into a wheelchair and what is was like. The book has many misconceptions about people in wheelchairs. For example, when Harry started school people were asking if he needed help because he was in a wheelchair. Harry told everyone that he was fine and could do it on his own. All of the students thought he was “just being polite” and that he really did need a lot of help. It is later found in the book that Harry is as capable as anyone else in the school. In fact, at the end of the story Harry shows everyone that he is awesome at wheelchair basketball when he plays a game against the school’s basketball star. This book teaches a lesson to readers because Harry was being bullied about being a “cripple”. Brother Bear stands up for Harry in the playground when Too Tall is making fun of them. The main message of this book is that “everybody’s got a handicap.” All people are good and struggle with different things in life. Just because someone is different or in a wheelchair doesn’t mean that they are any less. ( )

The Berenstain Bears and the Wheelchair commando is a great transitional chapter book. I really liked it for three reasons. First, I really liked the message in this book and the lesson behind it. Harry, a new student at Bear Country School is disabled and he uses a wheelchair. This book teaches children about disabilities and covers many questions and concerns that one may have at a young age. The term `cripple' is talked about in this book and its' use is discouraged by the teacher in the story. Brother and Sister bear are hesitant to be friends with Harry until they discover that he is just like them. This teaches children a great lesson that everyone can be friends with each other even if you have a disability. Next, the descriptive language in the book is very powerful, as it allows the reader to see the struggles that Harry goes through. For example, “The other cubs may want to meet me,” said Harry. “But they don’t want to get to know me. They just want to find out how…you know… how I got disabled. After that, they’ll forget all about me.” This really shows how hard it is to be different and the obstacles that one has to overcome with disabilities. Next, I really liked the simple illustrations incorporated into this book. Even though this is a chapter book the black and white illustrations allowed the reader to vividly see what was going on in the text and see how the bears were feeling throughout the story. Overall, the main idea of this book is learning about disabilities and that everyone can be friends despite any differences. ( )