This is the Kiss, written by Claire Harcup, reviewed by Klaudia Janek

Student Reviewer: Jay A-B.
Summary: This book follows the adorable story of how a mother bear tucks in her cub at the end of a long and fun day. The mama bear and her cub go through several actions, starting at a wave hello, and ending with a kiss goodnight. This book is perfect for students who are just learning to read. It would benefit preschool and kindergarten students with its short length and easy to pronounce words. It would also make for an excellent read-aloud for teachers and students alike.

Straight Talk for Librarians: This book would make for a wonderful introduction to the literary world for preschool and kindergarten students. The story itself is a cute and short read, perfect for the targeted audience. It’s short and simple, with quick to read pages and amazing artwork. While the story itself is inviting, it also allows for the reader to interact and get involved with the story. There is a small section in the back of the book that is dedicated towards furthering reading comprehension, problem-solving abilities, memory strength, social development, and pre-reading skills. It’s called StoryPlayTM. In the very back of the book, a few questions are asked that create a chance for the reader to further the story in their mind, even when finished reading, There is also a small question every few pages, an example being on the first page “What is Little Bear building?”. The picture featured on the page is of Little Bear rolling a ball of snow up a small hill, where at the top he is building a snowbear. Speaking of the artwork, it is absolutely eye-catching. While it has a simpler color palette, consisting of light shades of orange, green, red, and brown, the drawings themselves are quite cute. The mediums used for the artwork consist of both watercolor paints, and a black pen or pencil for the line art. The art is quite detailed, and in all honesty, the art is perfect for the story. There is such attention to detail that really allows the reader to get a feel for the tone of the story that they just couldn’t get from the words. While the words let the loving tone fly, the pictures help the more quiet and slow emotions come out to play. The reader can see the mutual joy of the two characters through the large smiles that they sport throughout the entirety of the book. Not once can they be seen without a smile taking over their features. This story is endearing and is just what any young child being introduced to reading needs.