Oh! What a Surprise

Oh! What a Surprise!
by Suzanne Bloom
32 pages, ages 2-6
Boyds Mills Press, 2012

I love Bear and Goose - so it was such a wonderful surprise to open up a box from Boyds Mills and find Suzanne Bloom's newest book in the bunch! I know that this is a book meant for the pre-school crowd, but seriously, I think people of all ages will love it.

Goose and Bear are back (this is the fourth in the series) - and they are busy working on surprises.

"What are you doing?" asks Fox. Bear is busy knitting something long and reddish... and he won't tell Fox what it is. "It's a surprise." Like any young kid, Fox bounces up and down asking the usual questions: can I help? Can I see? And most important: is it for me?

Then, demonstrating the attention span of gravel, Fox is off to see what Goose is up to.... a surprise. And not for Fox. hmmf! Well, Fox can fix that! He creates his own surprises - but I don't want to tell you what because ... it's a Surprise! 

Bloom's artwork is as vibrant as ever, and so textured that I want to comb my fingers through Bear's fur and squeeze that ball of heathery yarn. I love the snips and scraps of paper that litter the pages, the stray buttons and bits of ribbon... and the way she can evoke such expressiveness in characters with minimal facial features. Bloom's art is amazing - and that's no surprise at all.

Review copy provided by publisher.