The Bear and the Hare and the Fair

You'll be immediately drawn to this book with its neon pink cover featuring the strangest of sights… a bear holding candyfloss with a unicorn under his arm! The Bear and the Hare and the Fair is the latest treat released in the playful rhyming series from Em Lynas and Matt Hunt. You may already be familiar with The Cat and the Rat and the Hat and The Goat and the Stoat and the Boat.

These books are so ideal for sharing either between a parent and child or teacher and class. In this book, we meet Bear who is not a fan of the twirly whirly rides at the fair. Though, it's the bumpy rides Hare isn't keen on. Will they find anything they agree on? Will they find something to do at the fair which they both enjoy?

This narrative is a great stimulus for talking to children about likes, dislikes, compromises and finding common ground in relationships. This series is PERFECT for transcriptional writing. This book lends itself well to writing in year 1 where children are using the alternative graphemes for /air/. The previous books in this series work well in Reception as a stimulus text for transcriptional writing.

The Bear and the Hare and the Fair also supports children's composition skills as children can have fun creating their own rhymes. This is something I've experienced working well in Reception during the Spring term using The Goat the Stoat and the Boat. Frequent exposure to texts which rhyme are important for children as they begin the earliest stage of phonics and develop their listening skills. This book is full of multiple rhymes on every page which are predictable for the children to join in with. A great investment for our littlest children!

Picture book / Reviewed by Jessica Bunney, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 3+

If you are looking for a fun tongue twister, look no further that The Bear and the Hare and the Fair. This rhyming story is full of fun, humour and fast-paced adventure.

The brightly coloured illustrations will appeal to the younger reader, the characters facial expressions are brilliant. The descriptions of all of the fair ground rides are absolutely on point and recognisable to the children who have experienced them.

This would be a great book to use when discussing the fact that people like different things with very young children.  It could also be used to link with teaching the 'air' sound in phonics.

An all round fun book to read. I can see it becoming a classroom favourite.

Picture book / Reviewed by Amanda Shipton, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 3+