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Reviewed by Elaine Wills, Library manager, Enner Glynn School, Nelson
Opening sentence
Pa Bear was in the toilet. He’d been in there so long, …
Pa Bear finds himself in the most frustrating of circumstance, he’s on the toilet in the woods and there is no toilet paper. Someone is responsible and he is determined to find out who.

This humorous tale is written in rhyming text and is adorned with wonderful vocabulary for youngsters. Bandits and villains, craftwork and ablutions, culprits and confessions are some of the words that may encourage discussion and the inclusion of butts and bottoms will always make them laugh.

The illustrations are engaging with cute and expressive bears played out in each of Pa Bears theories, they have movement, colour and detail that draw the reader in and truly complement the text.

I recommend this book for preschools and early primary as a read aloud for its humour and its vocab.

Do you have any advisory warnings for this book? No

Would this book work as a read aloud? Yes

Is there a particular part of the country that it is set in? No
Author & Illustrator: Author: Amy Harrop Illustrator: Jenny Cooper
Publisher: Scholastic NZ
ISBN: 978 1 77543 765 9
Format: Paperback
Publication: 1 November 2022
Ages: 3– 6 yrs