Copy Me, Copycub - Hardcover

Edwards, Richard

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060285702 ISBN 13: 9780060285708

Publisher: HarperCollins, 1999

Synopsis

Through spring, summer, and autumn, through streams, swamps, and up and down trees, a mother bear and her cub play an important game of follow the leader. "You're my own little Copycub!" mother bear exclaims. Little does the cub know that each time he imitates his mom, he's learning precious life lessons. When winter suddenly arrives, the bears must make their way to the cozy cave to sleep until springtime. It's a long, hard journey, and as the snow blows into Copycub's eyes and ice fringes his fur, all he wants to do is lie down and sleep. How will his mother convince him to take just a few more steps?

Richard Edwards's simple, gentle text is heartwarming and inspiring. All the rich details of nature and the tender interactions between mother bear and cub are made real in Susan Winter's soft watercolor illustrations.

About this title

About the Authors

Richard Edwards was born in Tonbridge, England, and studied English and American literature at Warwick University. He has also lived in Italy, France, and Spain, and is the author of over twenty picture books and poetry books for children. His previous titles include Copy Me, Copycub and Always Copycub.

Mr. Edwards divides his time between Barcelona, Spain, and Edinburgh, Scotland.

Susan Winter was born in South Africa and graduated from Natal University before becoming a social worker in South Africa and later in London. After the birth of her second child, she studied illustration at the Chelsea School of Art and began a new career as a freelance illustrator of children's books. Her books include Copy Me, Copycub and Always Copycub by Richard Edwards. Ms. Winter lives in West London with her son and daughter.

From the Back Cover

Through spring, summer, and autumn, through streams, swamps, and up and down trees, a mother bear and her cub play an important game of follow the leader. "You're my own little Copycub!" mother bear exclaims. Little does the cub know that each time he imitates his mom, he's learning precious life lessons. When winter suddenly arrives, the bears must make their way to the cozy cave to sleep until springtime. It's a long, hard journey, and as the snow blows into Copycub's eyes and ice fringes his fur, all he wants to do is lie down and sleep. How will his mother convince him to take just a few more steps?

Richard Edwards's simple, gentle text is heartwarming and inspiring. All the rich details of nature and the tender interactions between mother bear and cub are made real in Susan Winter's soft watercolor illustrations.

Reviews

A charming story, just right for bedtime reading. A small bear follows his mother, from spring to summer, and summer through fall, doing just what she does, so she calls him ``a little Copycub.'' Together they splash in the swamp, pick berries, climb trees for honey, until at last in autumn, they begin the long journey back to a winter cave. It snows and blows; Copycub gets very tired and wants to sleep in the snow. His mother urges him on until they are snug inside the cave, ready to snooze away the winter on a cozy bed of leaves. Winter's soft watercolors show glowing golden bears in a pastel-colored north woods that changes through the seasons. Sweet and brief, this is sure to please toddlers. (Picture book. 3-6) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

In this reassuring tale from a British team, a mother bear affectionately nicknames her offspring "Copycub" because he learns by doing everything she does. "When his mother splashed through a swamp,/ the cub splashed through a swamp./ When his mother sat down for a scratch, the cub sat down for a scratch." The artwork, in close synchrony with the straightforward text, offers warmly rendered, simply composed watercolors that depict the bears leading an idyllic existence in the north woods. Then winter comes, and the bears must head to a distant cave to hibernate. A single snowflake quickly builds to a blizzard, and it is too much for Copycub. In a series of panels, the little bear slowly collapses in the snow: "He couldn't go one step further. All he wanted to do was lie down and go to sleep." It's a somewhat tense, even shocking moment in the previously gentle, almost lulling story: suddenly, Copycub's ability to mimic his mother becomes a matter of life and death. But Edwards and Winter don't shift gears. Rather, this dramatic turn of events reveals the strength of their understated approach. When the next pages reveal the mother bear nudging her exhausted cub successfully to their cave, the audience's relief will be palpable. Ages 3-7. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This simple story about the natural world will work equally well at preschool story times or on a lap. It follows a mother bear and her cub through the spring and summer as they look for food in the north woods--picking berries, gathering honey--with the tiny cub imitating everything his mother does. "You're my own little Copycub," says mother bear, giving him a hug. When the winter comes, with frost on the ground, the mother bear asks her cub to copy her and keep close behind. But when the snow begins falling, Copycub gets too tired and sleepy to keep going. Only with some mild nudging and encouragement from his mother, does the cub make it to the cave, where it's time to sleep until spring. Little ones will be charmed by these gentle bears, especially the endearing Copycub. Everything in the pictures seems round and soft, the quiet water, the mounds of snow, and especially mother bear. Kathy Broderick

PreSchool-K-A charming story of a mimicking cub who, with his mother, explores through spring, forages through summer, travels through the fall, and reaches a safe haven during the first snow of winter. The text includes fun-sounding words such as "lolloped" and some repetition ("His mother took a step. Copycub took a step"). Full-page soft watercolor illustrations, a varied layout, and a soothing text combine to create a warm, loving mood. Be prepared for repeated requests for this title.
Laura Santoro, Coventry Library, Cleveland Heights, OH
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0060285702
• ISBN 13: 9780060285708
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Winter Susan
• Number of pages: 32