The familiar cumulative game is played by four children, along with their father and their dog, at the typically British beach pictured on the lovely, expansive first endpaper. The children's real activities are shown in b&w drawings; the imaginative doings appear in full color. Although some of the color pages show perfectly possible events, most are clearly fantasy, suggesting just how close the two may be in children's minds. The family ends up in safe retreat in one big cozy bed; the bear is seen--on the second essential, beautiful endpaper--headed into a gloomy sea. Oxenbury's splendid watercolors and drawings perfectly evoke both landscape and the members of the questing family. A handsome edition of an old favorite. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Ages 4-6. A hearty chorus of "We're going on a bear hunt. / We're going to catch a big one. / What a beautiful day! / We're not scared" sets the blustery tone for this picture-book adventure that celebrates a family that is heading to the great outdoors. "Oh-oh! Grass! / Long, wavy grass. / We can't go over it. / We can't go under it. / Oh, no! / We've got to go through it! / Swishy swashy! / Swishy swashy! / Swishy swashy!" Each new challenge is bracketed by the choruses plus an onomatopoeic sound that captures the experience. The intrepid hikers take on a river, a mud flat, a forest, a snowstorm, a cave, and, of course, a bear, before racing home to the safety of their beds. There's plenty of fun to be had, resulting from the nearly irresist~ible invitation to shout the familiar refrains from this long-loved storytelling favorite. Expansive pictures, alternating color with black and white (for the refrains), provide sweeping landscapes that incorporate drama, jocularity, and interesting perspectives, while allowing children to get caught up in the enthusiasm. --Denise Wilms

A father and his four children--a toddler, a preschool boy and two older girls--go on the traditional bear hunt based on the old camp chant: ``We're going to catch a big one. / What a beautiful day! / We're not scared. / Oh-oh! Grass! / Long, wavy grass. / We can't go over it. / We can't go under it. / Oh, no! / We've got to go through it!'' The family skids down a grassy slope, swishes across a river, sludges through mud and, of course, finally sees the bear, who chases them all back to their home. It's a fantastic journey--was it real or imagined?--with the family's actions (and interaction) adding to the trip a goodnatured, jolly mood. The design of the oversized volume alternates black-and-white drawings with gorgeous full-color watercolor paintings, which Oxenbury uses to wonderful effect. Readers accustomed to her board books will find a different style here, of puddled colors and sweeps of light and shadow. The scale of the pictures and the ease with which the text can be shouted aloud make this ideal for families or groups to share. Ages 4-9. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Fiction: PB A typically wonderful Oxenbury family sets out with gusto on a bear hunt, and the old story comes to life with all its swishing grasses and oozy mud. Review, p. 764. Horn Rating: Outstanding, noteworthy in style, content, and/or illustration. Reviewed by: esw (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

PreS-K-- From England comes this refreshing interpretation of an old camp hand-rhyme presented in large picture-book format. The setting is the beach and its environs. The cast: five hunters (a man and four children) and a dog, all of whom stalk the furry beast through coastal landscapes, oozy mud, an unlikely snowstorm, and finally, into the cave where they meet the object of their search. And, just as in the old tale, they reverse their steps and, in this version, end up in bed under the covers, vowing never to go on a bear hunt again. The beautiful pastel watercolor paintings that fill the huge pages alternate with soft-textured charcoal sketches. The most impressive of the black, white, and gray drawings is the full-spread storm as it approaches. The final ``reverse'' scenes are small blocks, three to a page in rapid succession, in sync with the rushed pace of the text. Even the endpapers lend themselves to the mood of the tale. In contrast to the sunny beach featured at the front, a lonely bear walks the beach in the moonlight at the back of the book. The characters' faces are round and filled with expression. The rhyme is printed in a large, almost calligraphic typeface that leaps off the page, alive in onomatopoeic expression (``squelch squerch!'' and ``Hoooo woooo!'') and reassurance for young listeners (``We're not scared''). This version adds vitality to Sivulich's more traditional I'm Going on a Bear Hunt (Dutton, 1973; o.p.). Readers and listeners will delight in this imaginative pursuit over and over again. --Marianne Pilla, Upper Dublin Pub . Lib . , Dresher, PA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.