Bear and Hare are back for another jaunty go-round in Bear and Hare Share, and despite the spirit of generosity the title suggests, they never do share--and it's all Hare's fault.
The two friends are on a walk, both smiling. All is well. Hare says, "Oooh, a flower!" and then eats it. "Share? asked Bear." "Mine! said Hare." This is the fun-to-read-aloud refrain of the book--all the wonderful nuance lies in Hare's guilty expression that says, "No way in the world I am giving you a bite of this delicious flower even though you are my friend." Amazingly, Bear hugs Hare anyway. They go for yet another walk. "Oooh, ice cream!" says Hare. "Share?" asked Bear, looking less happy than before. "Mine! said Hare." Hare has angry eyes here, and his arms are wrapped protectively around the giant ice cream cone, even his long ears are wrapped around it. Still, Bear doesn't care. Hare doesn't want to share a balloon, either, and their ensuing tug-a-war pops it. And when Hare finds some delicious honey, and a swarm of furious bees, it is Bear who comforts and nurses the bee-stung Hare: "There there." (Bear still gets no honey...)
British author-illustrator Emily Gravett's (Orange Pear Apple Bear; Again; Bear and Hare Go Fishing) madly adorable pencil, watercolor and crayon paintings of the bear-and-hare pair leap off the thick white pages to steal readers' hearts. Preschoolers know sharing is important (if difficult), but perhaps an even more important reminder is that being friends means occasionally forgiving ignoble behavior and moving on. --Karin Snelson, children's & YA editor, Shelf Awareness