The Bear With Sticky Paws Goes To School by Clara Vulliamy
| The Bear With Sticky Paws Goes To School by Clara Vulliamy | |
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| Category: For Sharing | |
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Reviewer: Jo Heffer
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| Summary: Pearl is a small girl who does not want to go to school. An unexpected visitor invites her to go to his school instead. There don't seem to be any rules and the pupils can do exactly what they want. Will Pearl like this school any better? | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 32 | Date: September 2008 |
| Publisher: Orchard | |
| ISBN: 978-1846163050 | |
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I had already read The Bear with Sticky Paws with my two daughters which they loved so we were all very keen to see what happened in this story with the same loveable characters. I would stress though, that you do not need to have read the first book in order to enjoy The Bear with Sticky Paws goes to School as it really is a stand alone story.
We meet Pearl who has decided that she is definitely not going to school today. Before a full blown argument can take place with her Mum, the bear with sticky paws turns up at the door and invites her to Bear School instead. At first this seems an excellent alternative because there do not seem to be any rules and she and the bear can do whatever they choose. They paint, play musical instruments, cook and eat jelly. As you might guess, every time there is a messy activity sticky paw prints appear everywhere. Although the day starts off as fun, as things become more and more chaotic, Pearl starts to yearn for the familiarity and routine of her school and this is where we see her heading very happily at the end of the story.
There are lots of really good things about this story and both my daughters loved reading it with me. I like the way that it demonstrates that although children sometimes rebel against rules and routines that is what they actually really want. My five year old, who really loves her school, picked up on this message really well and actually told me that she would not like a school like that!
The story is told through simple accessible language and where the author wants to emphasise an idea the words are printed in big capital letters. Sometimes the words jump and leap around the page and all these devices appeal strongly to my older daughter who is just learning to read and is fascinated by the printed word.
Both girls love the two main characters. Pearl is bubbly and fun with a strong stubborn streak but is also quite sensible. The bear seems to get naughtier and wilder as the story develops and we love the way he just seems to enjoy doing his own thing. The characters both come alive through the wonderful illustrations that accompany the text. Every picture contains a lot of additional details that you would not pick up from reading the text alone.
My three year old loves the fact that there are lots of different things to count throughout the book. These include things that have been painted, musical instruments that have been played and the cakes and biscuits that they cook. At three she is very keen to practice her numbers whereas my older more mathematically advanced five year old just passes over this aspect of the story without a second glance. It just goes to show that different children will find different things to enjoy in this story.
Overall we really love this book because the story is so much fun. It's great to see all the mayhem and chaos but also a relief when order and a sense of calm are restored at the end.
As there are many similarities between this story and The Bear with Sticky Paws it will definitely be worth taking a look at that one too. The follow-up ...Won't Go To Bed is enjoyable too.
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You can read more book reviews or buy The Bear With Sticky Paws Goes To School by Clara Vulliamy at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy The Bear With Sticky Paws Goes To School by Clara Vulliamy at Amazon.com.
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