I am not usually a simple Alphabet book person (A is apple; B is bear; C is car) but Bear Is Awake! An Alphabet Story by Hannah E. Harrison is not your typical “D is for dinosaur” alphabet book. It might only have a handful of words to show you each of the letters, but it is packed full of adventure due to the ones used and the illustrations that accompany the text.
The subject matter focuses on slightly unusual words or ideas, such as I for Intrigued. The illustrations are radically detailed with beautiful, realistic images (or as realistic as a bear in an Outrageous Outfit can be). And not every page covers all the words you can find with that letter. Yet, it never goes over-the-top with that. There is no story text and therefore, basically could be considered a wordless picture book (if it was not for the few words it does have). What comprises the story are the wordless actions of a young girl who one day found a bear knocking at her door.
Perhaps the letter L is my favorite just because of the fun facial expressions (one nervous teacher/librarian), actions (couple clueless kids in the library; one toddler holding on to a fluffy teddy; well, kinda…) and other details of that page (the girl reading a book about bears). The letter’s X and Z are a little short-changed (X is just “x x x” or “kisses”; Z is just snoring) but perhaps they are the best words that could be used for the overall theme.
Everything is just makes this a fantastic, keepsake book and perfect for any gift giving opportunity.