The+Bear+Ate+Your+Sandwich

__ The Bear Ate Your Sandwich __ by Julia Sarcone-Roach **Book Review By:** Lori Donovan

http://images.randomhouse.com/cover/9780375858604

//The Bear Ate Your Sandwich// Author: Julia Sarcone-Roach Reading Level: Preschool-Grade 2 Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2015 Language: English ISBN: 978-0375858604 Format: Hardcover, $16.99 Pages: 40

__Summary__: //The Bear Ate Your Sandwich// is a story explaining why and how a sandwich was eaten. The story begins in a forest where a bear is intrigued by some lovely berries and climbed into a truck to eat them all. Stuffed and groggy, the bear falls asleep in the truck and arrives in a new forest, the city! He explores his new surroundings, seeing all of the different trees and climbing spots. He comes across a beautiful looking sandwich in the park and gobbles it up! Spotted by some dogs he runs away and goes back to his forest to go to sleep. The perspective is from one of the dogs that saw the bear eat the sandwich.

__Book Review__: This picture book is very humorous and a delightful read for all ages! The bear's new “forest” and his adventures are very relatable for children. These events are a source of giggles and thought as children may decipher the various experiences the bear has. The illustrations correlate beautifully to the text and provide an insightful perspective to what the text is saying. The “twist” of narration at the end gives //The Bear Ate Your Sandwich// a whole new flavor, and the plot of the inquisitive bear in a whole new surrounding ends concisely. Overall a great read, and I would definitely recommend this text to a teacher.

__ About The Author __ : Julia Sarcone-Roach is an author and illustrator of many children’s books. Sarcone-Roach graduated from Rhode Island School of Design with a degree in film and animation. She has won several awards for her animated film ‘Call of the Wild’, which has been shown at multiple film festivals. Her first published illustration was //Incredible Inventions//, written in 2009. She soon started illustrating and writing picture books later in 2009, and was awarded the 2009 Best Book Award (Oppenheim Toy Portfolio) with //The Secret Plan.// In 2016//,// Julia Sarcone-Roach was awarded the 2016 Ezra Jack Keats Book Award, as the New Writer Honor Winner.

__Literary Element Analysis__: The illustrations in this picture book heavily contribute to the characterization of the bear in this story, and prove to be a point of crucial support for quality understanding of the text. This starts on the very first page, as we see a painting of a friendly but inquisitive bear looking at the reader. Readers perceive that this is a nice bear that has traveled and lived in a forest. Much can be deducted from just viewing this first image, regardless of the level or experiences of the classroom reader. Sarcone-Roach’s illustrations speak even more extensively as she uses abstract paint strokes. Each page is filled with beautiful colors and forms that articulate what the bear is experiencing. These illustrations allow children to engage with the imaginary world the bear is in, and hence “picture” the story in their minds better. This is particularly noticeable on page 12, “there it was, your beautiful and delicious sandwich. All alone.” The bear has soft edges and the background leads the reader’s eye to the wonderful sandwich. These light illustrations allow readers to fill in the blanks with their imagination. Hence, a major literary element employed in this text is Sarcone-Roach’s use of illustrations, that allow students of all levels to understand what the story is about.

__Related Links__: http://www.jsarconeroach.com/books/the-bear-ate-your-sandwich/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLe8giNqPF8