Tell Me A Story, Mama Little Berry and Mama Bear

Little Berry, a sweet little bear cub, and Mama Bear live in the forest. They spend every minute together. Little Berry loves nothing better than to have his mother tell him stories. Not just bedtime stories, but anytime stories. Little Berry wants stories while they walk in the woods or while they are searching for food and especially when it is time for a nap or bed. And Mama knows a lot of stories about the creatures that populate the world the bears live in. On their walks, they encounter a wide variety of creatures that inspire stories. Some of the animals tell the stories, but most often, Mama Bear tells them.

Some of the stories are based on old fables or myths or fairy tales — retellings with animals as all the characters. Some are unrelated to stories from the past, but still have a feeling of old-time stories, and will have readers harkening back to Uncle Remus stories. Some quietly and subtlety teach life lessons, such as why it is important to be thankful for what we have or why we should stick to our business and not interfere with others. Some explain the mysteries and wonders of nature, such as why raccoons have masks or why a wolf’s howl is so plaintive.

These stories will work very well as read-alouds for those who are old enough and are good enough listeners to not need the stimulation of pictures on every page. Each story has a single charming illustration at the beginning, but this is not a picture book. The writing is fine with good descriptive language to convey the tales to young listeners. A round of proofreading would clean up some punctuation problems, but otherwise, this is a good, old-fashioned story book.