Bear in a Square

by Stella Blackstone, Debbie Harter (Illustrator)

Discover lots of different shapes with Bear — there are triangles on the waves, diamonds on the crown and stars in the sky. Rhyme, repetition and counting establish this book of shapes, and a two-page spread recapping the shapes and colors reinforces the educational building blocks.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Mathematics, Counting, Storytime, Fiction

Board book

First published July 31, 1998

About the author

See also: Tessa Strickland

Tessa Strickland is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of independent children’s publisher Barefoot Books. As Stella Blackstone, she has written many bestselling picture books for children. As an editor, she has worked with authors and illustrators all over the world.

—from http://www.arvon.org/tutors/tessa-str...

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice 'learn shapes' book for small children

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book for story time!

[Matt Dietzenbach · Rating 1 out of 5]

When you write about shape don’t use wrong terms like diamond and zig zags.

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

shapes and colors are fun :)

[Lia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book to help me practice my espanol

[E · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good intro to Bear books as it's the one that has one of the more simpler subtextual lessons. But not my favorite by a long shot.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Early Lit Tips:
Children need to know three things about letters: the names, the shape, and the sounds they make. Naming letters on signs, pointing out letter shapes in sidewalk cracks or buildings, and voicing letter sounds while interacting are all ways to make these connections.

Early STEM:
Can use observation skills to make note of patterns in drawings and stories.
MILEstone:
By the middle of the second year, most children will begin to see patterns in their environment. They will understand, for example, that night and day follow a continuous cycle. They also are becoming aware of man-made patterns, such as color patterns in a rug or tiles on a floor.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a concept book that includes numbers, colors, and shapes. The bilingual edition has a direct translation into Spanish that doesn't preserve the original rhyme (a shame, but not a detraction for me) as well as a glossary in the back. This would be a great book for a bilingual Spanish-English storytime.

[Jessica Buchanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, I thought it was a great way to introduce children to shapes. I would have this book in my classroom for sure because, it may co-inside with a theme or lesson that I am teaching. I think that this is a good book for a small group because the children can interact with the book and the teacher can observe if they have knowledge of shapes or if they do not.

[Esther · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bear in a Square is a book about shapes. Similar to "Shapes, Shapes, Shapes," children can point out the different shapes they see in the pictures. Awesome book for kindergarten or pre-k for shape identification.

[Rachel Hancock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a brightly illustrated book that allows for students to be engaged in the book. It is a good book for beginning readers and children learning colors and shapes.

[Mort · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is very adventurous. Takes you on a trip. Helps you explore your imagination.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun book about numbers and shapes. Not sure if it would work with toddlers, but definitely my preschool friends.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for beginning readers.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for reviewing shapes!

[Caontie McNeal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book about a bear and shapes ,great illustration's and fun to read.

[Paola Nunez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the bilingual version of this book. I would definitely recommend this book to bilingual families, especially when teaching children about shapes, numbers, and colors.

[Scott Cahalan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great concept book for children.

[Mayra Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interactive children's book. It teaches children shapes. I would recommend this book to children who are 3 and up. A great book to put on the shelves in a children's center.

[Tabitha Vanover · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bear in a square helps teaches shapes and you can use it for counting. Having the children spot out the shape and have them count how many of those shapes they see on the page. This book is a great assessment book for shapes and counting.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a fun way to find and locate different shapes and animals. Loved it!

More appropriate for toddler ages, but younger babies would enjoy the colors, and parents can point out the images and shapes.

[Daniel Barrows · Rating 3 out of 5]

It seems strange to me to rhyme a book about finding the object in the picture. You have to pause long enough to find the object, by which time any rhythm is gone. The illustrations are unremarkable. However, this is a good way to practice learning shapes.

[Chinook · Rating 3 out of 5]

The girls enjoyed this as they do any book that asks them to find things in a picture. I found it a bit boring, though.

[Kurt Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Colorful, and age-appropriate for kids learning their shapes.

[Audrey Widjaja · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed counting with this book!

[Michelle Glenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice book for shape and color recognition. Cute read for younger children.

[Yaricsa Lizama · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very cute picture book. Perfect for children ages 3-5. It is an interactive book about finding shapes within the book. Helps children learn their shapes as well.

[Tianna Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love this book! it was cute but informative with learning about different shapes. this book can be good for small group time asking kids to participate in the recognition of their shapes!

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book touches on a lot of different topics. Shapes is something that really stood out to me. I love the pictures they used to represent these concepts. This was a simple, yet great book!

[Bella Noorbakhsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book and would be good to use in a small group to get the kids engaged in their shapes.