Jamberry

by Bruce Degen

This bestselling classic features a berry-loving boy and an endearing rhyme-spouting bear. The fun wordplay and bright paintings with lots of details for young readers to explore make Jamberry a perennial favorite, and this board book edition is a great stocking stuffer. A small boy and a big friendly bear embark on a berry-picking extravaganza, looking for blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries. Their fun adventure comes to a razzamatazz finale under a starberry sky. From author-illustrator Bruce Degen, Jamberry is perfect for sharing. "With delightful, rich illustrations and zany wordplay, Jamberry is a must have book for any family with young children," according to Children's Books Guide. Hatberry
Shoeberry
In my canoeberry
Under the bridge
And over the dam
Looking for berries...Berries for jam!

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Food, Animals, Fiction, Storytime, Poetry

32 pages, Board Book

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Bruce Degen was an American illustrator and writer with over forty children's books to his credit. He may be known best for illustrating The Magic School Bus, a picture book series written by Joanna Cole. He collaborated with writers Nancy White Carlstrom, on the Jesse Bear books, and Jane Yolen, on the Commander Toad series. He wrote self-illustrated Jamberry, Daddy Is a Doodlebug, and Shirley's Wonderful Baby.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this little sweet book on Open Library. A rhyming story about a bear picking berries and his love of berries. The artwork is bordering on the surreal and the story isn't a whole lot, but for a kid under 3 you want to entertain, this story could do that.

This is rough for an adult, in my opinion, but its not written for me.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holds a special place in my heart--I was reading this book out loud to my 3 year-old niece after her brain surgery and it made her laugh. It was the first response we'd had and it marked the beginning of a turn for the better. I think this book is miraculous.

[Donovan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jamberry makes me hungry, as it should. It contains literally thousands of berries, jams, jellies, pies, tarts, you name it. And a pleasant anthropomorphic bear. There's a cute and, more importantly, un-forced rhyme scheme that lightly dips into the "made up words" Dr. Seuss territory. The artwork is solid. Clean, bright and imaginative. I think Bruce Degen does a good job of subtly encouraging kids to get outside and do something simple yet rewarding in nature, like berry picking, which stimualtes the imagination and makes for happier kids. Something kids these days (jesus, did I really just say that?) need to remember. And it's one of my daughter's favorites.

[Emily May · Rating 4 out of 5]

The rhyme in this book just works so good. I like it almost as much as my son does. It's amazing how quickly "One berry, Two berry, Pick me a blueberry" gets stuck in your head.

[❀Aimee❀ Just one more page... · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been one of our children's favorites.

It has wonderful, whimsical illustrations. The words are full of alliteration and made up words. This was a great book with which to challenge my early reading boys with.

A sweet, wonderful book that still makes me smile despite all the times we had to read it.

[Shiloah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite books growing up. I’ve raised my children on it. Today, while browsing children’s books, I realized our copy has long since flown the coop. We bought another one for the youngest kids to enjoy. I still love it too.

[Mira Prater · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do people know about this book? It’s so good!! And fun!!!

[Kylie Walter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jamberry is another one of my very favorite primary reader books. As a little girl I read this book too many times to even attempt counting. When I first got it I couldn't actually read it but I had memorized it page by page so I pretended to read it. It is an easy read for beginners and it is absolutely adorable. It really pulls you in with its illustrations, I mean what little kid wouldnt want to be able to run around barefoot eating all sorts of berries and hanging out with a big bear like the boy in the story? I know I did at that age and sometimes I still do. This book is magical without any magical aspects. This book will be read to my children are learning to read, I am sure of it!

[Luisa Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book’s creativity with words and illustrations, it makes it a treat to read and look at!

Definitely recommend this for your littles!

Ages: 2 - 5

[Audric the Illiterate · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5. My mom likes it, but it really just feels like an acid trip to me (not that I’d know.)

[Terri Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book years ago when my daughter was younger and reread it regularly now. It is a purely joyful rhyming book that zips off the tongue in a delightful way. The colors burst off the page and there is so much energy here, it makes me want to dance. The berries look luscious and there are so many surprises in the gorgeous art. Read this no matter what age you are and please share it with all of the children in your world just for the joy and pleasure of it.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite picture books from when I was a kid.

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites! RIvetting especially the part where the canoe goes over the damn.

[Anne Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a favorite book of my children when they were little. Today i read it to my grandson and already he loves it, too. "One berry. Two berry. Pick me a blueberry. Hatberry. Shoeberry. In my canoeberry." These words would send him into peels of laughter. Love this book. Don't ever let it go out of print.

Part of our library's '100 books Every Kid Should Hear Before Kindergarten' list. We read all the books with our grandson this summer in preparation for school. This title is in my top 20 from the project.

[Memi Lecrou · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a silly little story. Though there was less story to it and more silly rhyming. Where it shined was in the illustrations. I had to pause on each page to take in each picture so I didn't miss a thing. Marshmallow cattails, lilypads made of pats of butter, a tree with slices of bread for leaves and of course berries of every kind jam-packed (see what I did there?) throughout. It makes me crave some nice juicy blackberries.




full review available on my blog

[Christina Mack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wordplay at its finest resulted in a joyful read of an unbelievable adventure. Would recommend to teachers in pre-k classes everywhere.



Extension: teachers can bring in different flavors of jelly and jam for children to taste test on biscuits.


SD1 Children will use processes of science to actively explore and increase understanding of the environment.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I live in huckleberry country - we learn to outwit the bears in our quest for our favorite July treat (did I just write that?! Encounters with grizzlies and even black bears leave me shaking in my boots).
Jamberry is a delight in rhythm and rhyme.

[Randi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This will forever be one of my favorite books. I remember reading it with my own mom as a small child, and it was one of the first board books I bought for my own daughter. We still read it several times a week (sometimes several times in a day!) and I never get tired of it.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The most berry-centric book I have ever read. Very little to do with jam, though, other than berry collection. Foods in the background disappeared after a couple of pages, much to my dismay. I wish it were longer. This concludes my review of Jamberry."

[Aileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lillian definitely rates this 5 stars. It is one of her favorites right now at 14 months. She loves the details in the pictures. I like the “hints” of what’s to come within the pictures.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

My two year old's favorite book.

[BiblioBtown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! tongue-twisting at times but a fun experience all together!

[Charlie von Kleeck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jamberry, blackberry, cranappleberry, raspberry! A great read that can be turned into a rap quite easily

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

I revisited this book recently for the first time in over 5 years and liked it much more than I ever have before. Bo Peep became completely obsessed with the pictures as well as the rhythm of the text, and when the book is available, she asks for several readings right in a row. Miss Muffet also liked it, and she was making connections between it and other berry books we know, such as Blueberries for Sal.

Read at Baby/Toddler story time on 1/25/11: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...

Read at preschool story time on 3/22/17: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...

[Ruby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that this is a great book for 2 to 3 year olds because the sentences are very short and they all rhyme in each page.Younger children can definitely benefit from it because it is very short and simple under one category which is berries. The fiction will make it a fun story to review about what kinds of fruits will make good jam.I would like to use it in a unit that has to do with fruits and vegetables.

Extension activity: Children can go around and say how they would make their very own jam and what kind of fruit they would make it out of.This would make a great transition.

[Samantha Goff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing!! I really like it and I actually read it to the children at my workplace. It tells about the many different types of berries, how to count as well, and the difference of body parts from animal to humans. This book used age-appropriate language for children who are starting out to read on their own. I believe that the young children will enjoy this book especially if they like berries.

[Mandeep’s reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

although i found the sometimes nonsensical rhyming a little off putting, my 2 yr old loves this book. the first time she saw the illustrations her mouth was literally hanging open. the pictures aren't what i normally thought would appeal to her, but the detailed pages with cute character faces making exaggerated expressions really do appeal to her. "boy so happy" she likes to tell me.

[Christie Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary: A little boy walking in the forest meets a big lovalbe bear that takes him on a delicious berry-picking adventure in the magical world of Berryland.
A delicious classic (published in 1983)! Fun. Beautiful. Lyrical. Rhyming. I could read this one over and over. Maybe I'll even memorize it! Shouldn't be too hard at only 111 words.

[Bridget · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it. Every time I read it I want to run across the street and go berry picking, just sometimes the berries aren't in season. Anyhow, it makes berry picking seem like more fun than Dance Dance Revolution somehow.

[Ten_zillions · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jamberry is a book literally about making jam! It introduces a variety of fruit that can make jam. This book would be excellent to accompany a food activity. It is also easy to read and introduces rhymes and rhyming words.