"I went to the shop
to get me a coat.
Oh dear, they gave me ...
a goat!
Oh dear,
look what I got!
Do I want that?
No, I do NOT!"
Seeing the beautiful images on the front cover of this book took me right back to 1989 - the first time I ever read aloud We're Going on a Bear Hunt in my early years classroom. It was a hit, and has been ever since then. I expect this one will be the same; the same joyous text, the same appeal in the watercolor and pencil artwork. I couldn't wait to get started reading it aloud.
The opening endpaper shows a young child with a tote bag over the arm, whistling while setting out on an errand. Readers learn immediately that the child is on the lookout for a carrot. At the first shop, the grocer offers a parrot. Those two pages set the tone for the rest of the book. The challenge for listening children is to guess what the next rhyming word could be. After each mistaken exchange, a repetitive response is:
"Oh dear,
look what I got!
Do I want that?
No, I do NOT!"
It takes no time at all for little ones to start the guessing game and take part in repeating the child's response. Such fun, as page after page, the invitation is clear. Instead of a hat, the milliner offers a cat. Both parrot and cat are companions for the next stop. Along they go to the tailor where, instead of a coat, the child gets a ...
The child and three assistants move on to another three establishments, each time surprised by the animal offered. The wriggly pup from the cup shop rewinds the earlier encounters to create chaos on a grand scale. While thinking about what to do next, there is a knock on the door ... I wonder who might be there? It's a delightfully positive ending for an entertaining and memorable romp.
Get ready to read it again and again! What additional rhymes might the children hearing the story add?
The talents of two remarkable artists, whose words and pictures are as heartwarming and enduring as they have ever been, is a new source of wonder for children and their families.
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