PreS-Gr 1-An amusing read-aloud. In his comfy log house, Grandfather Bear settles down to drink his tea, satisfied that his two good little grandchildren have gone to sleep. While he talks to his cat about how beautifully they behave and says they are "no trouble at all," the two mischievous cubs are wreaking havoc upstairs. Grandfather's affectionate musings are accompanied by cozy watercolors on double-page spreads, showing not only the nearsighted bear going about his evening routine, but also the younger ones cavorting around inside and outside, and the feline participating in both scenarios. The book radiates good-natured love and kindness, spiced with gentle humor.-Judith Constantinides, formerly at East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Readers will chuckle at the discrepancy between the text-in which Grandfather Bear describes how well-behaved his visiting grandbears are-and the illustrations, which clearly depict the little darlings getting into all sorts of mischief behind his back. This clever juxtaposition allows children to absorb the story on two levels, without requiring the text to spell out the contrast. While Grandfather muses to himself how little trouble his houseguests are, goes upstairs to make sure they're not afraid of noises in his creaky house (noises the little bears have made themselves, of course), and chides himself for leaving his door ajar, the grandbears are busy jumping on his bed, fixing a midnight snack, and sneaking outdoors before finally climbing back up to bed. Warm pastel illustrations portray a jolly Grandfather Bear with reading glasses perched on the end of his nose and slippers on his feet and two young, plump, adorable bears, whose innocent facial expressions belie their harmlessly naughty nature. Grandpa's cozy log cabin is reminiscent of a treehouse, with stumps for tables and tree trunks with leaves growing out of them for posts. A testament to unconditional grandparent love, inventively presented. (Picture book. 3-5)

Two little bears outfox their grandfather in Grindley's (The Sorcerer's Apprentice, reviewed Apr. 1) sly offering. "Shhh! They're fast asleep. Don't wake them up," says the grandfather bear to his cat companion. "They're such good little bears when they come to stay. When I was their age I was full of mischief." But it's soon clear to readers that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Taylor, in her American debut, reveals the cubs' true nature in comical full-bleed watercolors. Paired with the grandfather's blissfully naive comments, they're all the more entertaining. "These old houses are full of strange noises," he says as the little ones engage in a pillow fight. "I'd better just check those little bears aren't frightened." When the cubs sneak outside and leave the door ajar, he says, "I guess I didn't close the door properly. Silly of me." The duo sees their chance to dart back inside and up to bed when the big bear goes to fetch a picnic basket from the shed: "They deserve a treat, those little bears. They're absolutely no trouble. No trouble at all." The premise may be well-worn, but the poker-faced text plays straight man to Taylor's charming artwork. Her illustrations of the impish cubs in a cozy tree dwelling make clear that the ursine siblings mean no harm. Ages 2-up.(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

PreS.^-Gr. 1. The scene opens in an ineffably cozy cabin where grandfather bear tucks the covers around two cubs, one cocoa, one golden. Grandfather settles himself by the woodstove with a pot of chocolate, noting to the cat that when he was the same age as the cubs, he was full of mischief. He starts only at a sudden noise, fetches the picnic basket for the morrow, and at last goes to bed himself. The pictures tell a different story--the cubs aren't asleep at all. They have a pillow fight, go outside, and sneak into the kitchen for jam. These infractions are, of course, incredibly funny played against Grandpa's belief that they are "good as gold." The full-page illustrations contain loads of delightful details: the oak-leaf pulls on the chest of drawers, the tree trunk that forms the cabin's main support, the gentle blue edging on the chocolate pot and the mattress ticking. Soothing, yet quite amusing. --GraceAnne A. DeCandido