Issue #0

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear

Plot

Sort of a Jane Fonda workout program for the nursery set, this verse exhorts readers to join Teddy Bear as he turns around, touches the ground, goes upstairs, says prayers, etc. Those who have trouble imagining the appropriate actions can turn to directions supplied at the end (at the line "turn around," for example, we are instructed to "Spin around once"). Hague frames the text in sweet-as-can-be borders of a star-surrounded Teddy Bear in 10 pretty poses; facing illustrations, executed in watercolor, ink and pencil, conjure up a mirthful little teddy bear and a benign, bespectacled mother as they cavort against elegantly but relentlessly patterned backdrops. When Teddy Bear turns off the light, he is wearing star-spangled pj's and standing against duck-patterned drapes, which are open to a glittery sky lit by a smily-faced man-in-the-moon. "By combining a realistic bear with stylized, brightly colored backgrounds," the artist explains in an endnote, "I think a magical fantasy world has been achieved"--some may believe it's a confectioner's art. Ages 2-up.