Hello, friends! Sorry we missed yesterday’s review! As we get closer to our moving day, that may happen intermittently. But today, we’re back with a review of Bear & Hare Share! by Emily Gravett, a story about the power of sharing… sort of.

Best friends Bear and Hare set out on a walk one day looking for things to do. As they come upon a bright flower, Hare exclaims his joy and snatches it up. “Share?” asks Bear. “Mine!” declares Hare, and chomps the flower down in one bite. Much is the same for the ice cream and balloon they find: Bear asks to share, but Hare will not. At last Hare, alone, comes upon some honey – and the bees that made it! After getting a sharp stinging lesson in not stealing honey, Bear is there to share his first aid kit, and tenderly cares for his friend. Afterwards, he asks to share some of Hare’s honey, to which Hare again refuses.

If that sounds like a strange ending, well, yeah. I’m normally a huge fan of Emily Gravett’s stories, with their simple style and charming art, but this one just fell flat for me. I really didn’t like that Hare learned nothing from the experience, and continued to refuse to share with his inordinately patient friend. I think it’s meant as humor, but it just didn’t really land for us. The art is great, the length is fine, and there were lots of things and simple words that JJ could identify, which she enjoyed. But overall, the negative message of this one made for a pretty disappointing read, so we can’t put our stamp of approval on it. Go check out any of Emily Gravett’s other books, most of which are delightful.