The Bear Ate Your Sandwich by Julia Sarcone-Roach

I recently purchased a copy of The Bear Ate Your Sandwich (Knopf, 2015). I first read this book in July, and though it left a positive impression, I put it on my "to-buy" list and the didn't think about it again (I am constantly buying books.)

But a fellow librarian mentioned it in conversation, and there it was again--- on my mind!

So I ordered my copy and decided to read it and share it with our second graders. I was anxious to see their reactions. 

Before I read the story to the first class, I mentioned that I hadn't read the book to anyone yet, and that I wanted to see what thought about it. They loved that. Then I gave them this "fill-in-the-blank" to answer out loud:

"Bears love to ____." 

Nearly everyone said "eat". And then I knew they were ready. 

I started out by showing the endpapers at the front of the book. The first images the reader sees are panels of delicious and well-built sandwiches of various types, evoking hunger in anyone who stares at them. 

The the title page reveals the Bear taking a nap, and the story plays on. Someone ate your sandwich, and the narrator saw it all. The narrator the tells the story, with detail and description. This Bear came from a long way, and found your sandwich. Bear went into the city, lured by berry smells on a pickup truck, and when he came across the sandwich in the park, he ate it. It all makes sense! 

But then there is a surprise on the last page, and readers see the narrator. Suddenly there are questions! 

Throughout the story, my readers were taking it all in, enjoying the plot turns, noticing details, but for the most part, silently absorbing it. And when we came to the end, I knew the book had achieved a glorious effect (I could tell by the looks on their faces): it made them question, reconsider, and process a different idea. And then the smiles came, and I knew this read-aloud had been successful. 

I didn't need to do anything else with the the book but share it. Simple enjoyment! 

Now it's time for me to do some more thinking about this book.  

Note: The endpapers at the back of the book answer those at the beginning. You must get a copy to see how!