Bergman and Maland (previously paired for Snip Snap!
What’s That?
) serve up another deliciously scary encounter between children and wildlife. The recipe: take two kids and a dog making bread in their cozy London flat, combine four big visitors from the zoo who sneak in through the window, add a huge bear with a mouthful of big teeth and sprinkle with plenty of nervous giggles. Enticing rhymes and onomatopoeia make each animal intruder’s entrance the read-aloud equivalent of a star turn: “Clump, Stump./ Did anyone see/ who slumped through the window/ with wobbly lips/ and wiggly hips/ and a lumpety bump/ of a hump?” Maland drops lots of visual hints to assure even the smallest children that there’s no danger. The flat is decorated with inviting furniture, the animals look friendly, and the bear has a fatal weakness for bread and cake. Treats usually disappear quickly, but this one will last through repeated readings. Ages 3–7. (Jan.)
