Bear's Curiosity Book: An Adventure in Early Learning

Worth its weight in factoids, this sweetly illustrated volume gives new meaning to the terms ``interactive'' and ``information-packed.'' Following a table of contents (kids can pretend it's a ``grown-up'' book), a spread entitled ``Just looking around'' introduces the subjects to be covered. In ``Bear's busy day,'' the engaging ursine protagonist learns to tell time; youngsters are invited to do likewise and--lest their attention flag--to ``spot the mouse in each picture.'' On the following spread, Bear attempts to match a series of tracks ``to whatever made them'' (car, elephant, duck, etc.); opposite, six types of distinctive footgear can be paired with their wearers. And so it goes, through playful lessons in counting, shapes, colors--and more unusual entries, such as botany (an apple tree's life is traced), ``Ways of moving'' (kangaroos hop, babies crawl, etc.) and many more. The brevity of the entries is well suited to the intended audience, and opportunities for discussion and further exploration are endless. Ages 3-5. (May)