Children - Animals

Moon Bear

Name: Moon Bear
Author: Brenda Z. Guiberson
ISBN: 9780805089776

by Brenda Z. Guiberson, Ed Young

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Overview

Moon Bears, or Asiatic black bears, are so named because of the white moon-shaped blaze on their chests. The moon bears are seldom seen but their footprints, claw marks, hair, and bear nests high in the trees give us clues about how they live. Sadly, there are now more moon bears in captivity than in the wild, as these animals are being "farmed" for their commercially valuable bile.

Brenda Guiberson's lyrical text and Ed Young's stunning illustrations combine in a winning tribute to this endagered species. Follow one moon bear in the wild as she eats, plays, hibernates, and wakes up again in the spring.

Moon Bear is a 2011 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Synopsis

Publishers Weekly

Guiberson (Life in the Boreal Forest) uses lyrical call-and-response phrases to describe the endangered southeast Asian moon bear's activities, after she wakes from hibernation. “Who scratches the birch tree and licks oozing sap? Hungry moon bear, slurping sweetness after months without food.” Moon bear's dramatic shape—composed of inky-dark cut paper, with a striking, white chest blaze that gives the animal its name—contrasts against Young's (Hook) layered collages, which include photographic images of bark, bamboo, and forest floor. The moon bear marks its territory, eats (a lot), and sleeps, and as time passes, she prepares for hibernation once more; when she reawakens, she emerges a “Mama moon bear,” with cubs. Despite the dangers the bears face (an author's note features photographs of moon bears with information about farms in which thousands of them are kept), the text itself includes only a glancing mention of “poachers and loggers.” The book's subtlety—keeping the focus on the bear's peaceful everyday life, rather than the threats to its existence—is likely to inspire readers' compassion and concern. Ages 4-8. (May)

About the Author, Brenda Z. Guiberson

Brenda Z. Guiberson is the author of many books for children, including Life in the Boreal Forest; Ice Bears; Rain, Rain, Rainforest; The Emperor Lays an Egg; and the best-selling Cactus Hotel. She lives near Seattle, Washington.

Ed Young is a Caldecott Medalist, a two-time Caldecott Honor Book artist, and has been twice nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award. He has illustrated many books for children, including Cat and Rat.

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Editorials

From Barnes & Noble

Moon Bear is the true story about the Asian Black Bear, an endangered species so stunning and unique that these huge, majestic creatures among seem like imaginary creations. (Rudyard Kipling called the Moon Bear "the most bizarre of the ursine species.") Brenda Guiberson's illustrated book captures the natural cycles of these ever-hungry omnivores, who hibernate, sleep, or just nap when they're not foraging for food. Readers young and old will never forget the book's color photographs of Moon Bears with their distinctive white chest markings. Editor's recommendation.

Children's Literature - Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz

The text asks a series of questions: "Who blinks in the sunlight that peeks through the Himalayas?" "Who scratches the birch tree...?" On each double page a question is answered with poetic words about the moon bear, an endangered species of Asiatic black bears that we follow from spring to fall. She slurps "sweetness after months without food." "Who scritches and shuffles through soggy leaf litter?" "Curious moon bear licking up ants after the drenching monsoon." She feasts on raspberries and cherries. She climbs the mountains and zigzags down. She finally gorges on extra food, digs into a tree hollow, and makes a nest to sleep in until the next hungry spring when the mama moon bear emerges with two cubs. Young interprets this character dramatically with cut and torn papers, an almost mysterious figure whose blackness looms through the green bamboo stalks with one clawed foot as accent. She stands upright in a rocky landscape against a purple sky or reaches up in silhouette toward an orange night. The visual power is overwhelming. Note the contrasting jacket and cover. On the final pages, along with photographs of the bears, the author has described them and explained how to help them survive at the Animals Asia Moon Bear Rescue Center in China. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz

School Library Journal

Gr 1–3—The endangered Moon Bear, or Asiatic black bear, is the subject of this call-and-response tale created in partnership with the Animals Asia Foundation. Readers follow one female bear as she wakes from hibernation, explores the seasons, and awakens the following spring with new cubs. The story focuses on simple actions such as eating raspberries and swatting insects, giving young readers an idea of how these elusive bears behave. Much of the time, collage illustrations closely reflect the text, but occasionally elements are left to the imagination. For example, the Moon Bear is said to be eating near a red panda that appears nowhere on the page. Collage illustrations are a good fit for showcasing the Moon Bear's markings and large round ears. The threat of poachers and loggers is touched upon, and an author's note with photos and a Web site lets readers know how they can help this animal. A worthy effort highlighting a species in need.—Lisa Glasscock, Columbine Public Library, Littleton, CO

Kirkus Reviews

With a series of questions and haiku-like answers, Guiberson (Ice Bears, 2008) introduces young readers and listeners to bears from a far-off place. "Who plucks raspberries / and plops red scat in the tangle? Blissful moon bear, / feasting on juicy summer fruit." While much of her alliterative text focuses on the Asian Moon Bear's varied diet, the narrative covers a year in which one bear emerges in spring, forages uphill and down and hibernates again, producing cubs. Collages of textured papers, parts of photographs and varied backgrounds form the stylized illustrations. Some of the bear's white neck stripes form human silhouettes, and Young uses bear silhouettes in his endpapers. Though the art is impressive, some images are confusing, distracting from rather than supporting the text. A two-page author's note doesn't mention the bile industry directly but describes bears in cages and shows photographs of rescued bears happily playing at the Animals Asia Moon Bear Rescue Center in China. A website is included but not sources or additional information. Tempting but not nutritious. (Informational picture book. 4-7)