Hmmm… A kid meets a bear in the woods that is having a tea party all to himself, and even wearing a bow tie while at it. The kid joins in, the end. It's not much of a story, the drama is low, and the book certainly takes great efforts to tell us its vocabulary is of the edifying extent that it is (we even get the word "wood", meaning, well, a wood, in the glossary). But added to the underwhelming plot is the fact that it is in quite clumsy verse. Sure, it gets the rhymes spot on in an AABBA fashion all the time, but definitely at the cost of line length. Some of the pages have the rhythm of a limerick, but most don't, with far too many beats to each A-line. There really should have been more of the promised joy to reading this aloud, and that stuttering rhythm is to blame. It doesn't make this horrendous, but it doesn't make it a priority purchase – two and a half stars.

A novel that puts great focus on teaching children new words. I like the words being listed and explained at the beginning.

The book is quick and easy to read with different styles of rhyme, the story for me could have been stronger.

The illustrations were clear and colourful, but a little repetitive in style.

Thanks to Netgalley and JMJ Creations Publishing for providing me with an Advance Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.