Big Bear Fair by Grandma Krazy/Kathy Blomquist is a short story about a young boy watching bears of all shapes, sizes, and colors doing several things that are out of the ordinary. His mother seems to be uninterested and indifferent as he runs through the explanation of what each bear is doing or wearing until he points out that it is not one bear but many. What were all those bears doing that got the young boy’s attention? What will his mom do when she realizes that he is actually telling her what he sees? Will she be as intrigued and excited as the boy is?

I love how Big Bear Fair by Grandma Krazy/Kathy Blomquist is written in poetic verses that are easy for kids who are learning to read to understand using comprehension and context. The plot is fast-paced but fun as each one of the bears passes by the window while the young boy explains in detail what is going on. The illustrations are bright, colorful and full of life as they show exactly what each page of the story describes. The Big Bear Fair is the perfect book for early readers because some of the words Blomquist uses encourage kids to sound out syllables as they read along and enjoy the story. Don’t forget that this story supports the Wide Reading program with a short glossary of terms at the beginning that will help kids understand the meaning and pronunciation of the new words they will learn throughout the book.