The marriage of text and image in this book is outstanding (although I think the artwork is the real star), and the large square format (about 11 x 11”) makes it a perfect group read aloud as well as a great book to share with one child. In the climactic scene, the bears are in a small boat in a storm-ravaged sea and the text on the two page spread simply says “Boom!” Two pages later, when the siblings acknowledge the parts they played in their dilemma, the reader turns the page from the image of a storm to one of the most peaceful pictures of a boat on water you’ll ever see. The ocean is a central character in the book and Soman takes full advantage of his considerable artistic skills to create some amazing images of the sea. Young children will be fascinated with the details on some of the pages that tell as much as the text about what the bears encounter. Literary elements at work in the story: Although only 32 pages, this is a fully formed adventure story. Their quest across the sea brings some physical challenges and danger and conflict with each other until they find that home – and forgiveness – is where they find what they need. In asking various people they meet on the open seas if they know where to find a blue shell, one gruff sailor tells them they will find one if they ‘just look in the right place’. Hoping to replace the shell with a lookalike before their mother finds out the first one is broken, they set off in their boat on a search for a similar shell. Summary: Three sibling bears break their mother’s favorite blue shell as they try to sneak a jar of honey off of the mantle.

Three Bears in a Boat by David Soman