THE BEAR & THE FLY - A Story By Paula Winter

When I left my school library job, there were a number of books that I was tempted to slip into my bag.  Most of them were old, and I am afraid that the next librarian will not appreciate them as much and will weed them to make room for the newer books that are always coming down the production line.  But the kids loved them when I read them!!!  Newer is not always better.  My ethics prevailed and I did not lift these books, instead, I put them on my To Buy list, even though some are difficult to find. 

     The first on my list was THE BEAR &The FLY by Paula Winter.  Published in 1976, this is one of those little books that easily get lost on library shelves.  It is also a wordless book with the story told through the illustrations. These simple pen and ink drawings, filled in with only a few colors, wonderfully render the accelerating mayhem of the story. The facial expressions are hysterical.  Each page reads as a frame of action and it is not surprising that THE BEAR & THE FLY  was turned into an animated short. 

     This is one of the first stories I would "read" to kindergarteners and it was a dangerous undertaking.  Dangerous because it incites violence.  Yes, violence.  But fun. Fun as in Laurel and Hardy or The Three Stooges.  Here in classic disaster humor, Bear causes an enormous amount of damage as he tries to swat a fly.  So simple, so funny.  But be prepared for some acting out.  How can they resist?  

THE BEAR & THE FLY  - A Story By Paula Winter
Crown Publishers, NY, NY  1976
ISBN: 0-517-52605-0

Stick Horse by Ken Raney

Stick Horse by Ken Raney is a wordless ride through space and time. I'm not sure why it didn't catch on, perhaps it is because it was published by a small press. But it is worth checking out. Especially for young boys.

There is a bit of a disconnect between the carefully rendered color pencil illustrations and the time travel theme, but I like it. At first glance it seems like a simple sweet story with a tow-headed boy and then, wow, he is zipping past the Statue of Liberty. What fun!

The pictures are very easy to follow; it is almost a wordless easy reader. There is not much of a plot, but the concepts of time travel, replete with dinosaurs and a possible boy from the future make this a fun read. I can't imagine many five year-olds that wouldn't love this.

Unfortunately, it is very hard to find. Sometimes you have to wonder about an industry that dumps its babies and moves on so quickly. Don't get me started!

Stick Horse by Ken Raney
1991
Medlicott Press
ISBN10: 0962526142
ISBN13: 9780962526145