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There's a Bear on My ChairRoss Collins
There's a Bear on My Chair
by Ross Collins
A mouse tries everything to shift the polar bear sitting in his chair, and eventually gives up and leaves.
A story about animals, funny and rhyming in tone. We would put it with children of 3–5, and at a reading age of about 4 for reading alone.
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Our take on this book
A little mouse is most put out to find a large bear sitting in his chair, and tries everything to shift him — bribery, disguises, sheer force of will — all in bouncing, minimal rhyme, before a neat twist turns the tables. Ross Collins's picture book is a small comic gem: the rhyme is spare and perfect for the very young, the bear's serene refusal to budge is quietly hilarious, and the final page delivers a satisfying reversal that children love. The bold, funny illustrations carry much of the joke, and there is nothing at all to trouble a reader. For a three- to five-year-old it is a delightful, giggle-inducing read-aloud — the kind of book whose rhythm children quickly memorise and chant along to — and the mouse's mounting frustration and the bear's magnificent indifference make it endlessly re-readable. A brilliantly simple, beautifully judged bit of picture-book comedy that reliably gets small children laughing.
If they like this, try these
Chosen by matching age, reading age, tone and subject — not by what is selling.
Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's DairyLynley Dodd
The Elephant and the Bad BabyElfrida Vipont
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Charlie Cook's Favourite BookJulia Donaldson
Green Eggs and HamDr Seuss
Slinky MalinkiLynley Dodd
Or let them write their own.
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Find another book
Tell us the age, the reading age and what they like, and we will suggest a handful.