If Beaver Had a Fever

September 1, 2011

K-Gr 3-Momma Bear and her cub enjoy a rhyming conversation about how she'd care for the animals if she were a doctor. "If you were a doctor/in charge of the zoo, /what would you do/if Gnu had the flu?" asks Little Bear. Momma would come to the rescue with cake and the appropriate pills. But what about chimps with limps, deer that can't hear, a meerkat that gets too fat, or weasels with measles? Momma has the proper cure for every one of them. The question inevitably turns to "how would you be/if you were a doctor, /and the sick one were me?" As that would be a special case, Momma's proposed cures are extra nice. Little Bear would get his favorite foods, a round of board games, cuddles and tickles, and the best care of all. O'Malley's illustrations were done with crayons, colored pencils, and colored markers. In the foreground Momma and Little Bear have their playful conversation, while behind them Little Bear's artwork-drawn to mimic crayon drawings by children-act as the backdrop. Overall, an additional story about a mother's enduring love.-Roxanne Burg, Orange County Public Library, CA

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.