Bear Came Along; Richard T. Morris, illustrated by LeUyen Pham

Bear Came Along is a fun-filled and action-packed adventure as an assortment of forest animals join Bear on his rather unplanned adventure along the river.

Bear hadn’t planned to take a trip along the river. And he certainly hadn’t planned to be joined by a whole host of forest animals. But all the animals are in it together and like it or not, they all need each other especially as the river has some rather big surprises in store…

Whilst these animals all inhabit the same forest it is very unlikely that they would have become friends and that is what I love about this book. As the animals join Bear on his adventure, friendships form and a strong sense of community and dependence on one another develops. Ultimately the animals learn to just enjoy the ride and seize the day - what a wonderful way to live life!

The illustrations are big, bold, lively, colourful and packed with humour. The double page spreads of the animals paws, claws and flippers, followed by the shocked expressions on the animals faces are just genius.

Young readers should definitely hop on board this one and enjoy the wonderful ride and adventure that is life!

Recommended for 3+.