The hardcover edition has sold 3266 copies since September 2022
Bear Has a Belly was a 2023 Texas Library Association 2×2 Reading List Selection
Featured on Betsy Bird's School Library Journal Fuse 8 site
Animals Move by the same author and in the same style of Bear Has a Belly was a 2023 CLEL Bell Picture Book Awards for Early Literacy Shortlist book, and 2022 Cybils Award Board Book Finalist
Part of the Big, Little Concepts series along with Animals Move, Shape Up, Construction Trucks! and Listen Up! Train Song
Includes a parental guide on the back cover with the following categories:
Active Fun: Celebrate healthy physical movement
Science & Nature: Meet 9 North American animals
Rhyme & Rhythm: Boost the brain's ability to learn language
Family Reading Ages 1-3: Read together to foster learning development
Specifically written by a children's librarian with early literacy principles in mind
Encourages body positivity and healthy movement
Photographic books are always in demand by educators, especially from Montessori programs. Animals Move has been especially praised for its representation of children with diverse backgrounds and abilities, and Bear Has a Belly does the same
From the author of Animals Move, A Good Day for Ducks, Wild One, and Queenie Quail Can't Keep Up
Concludes with developmentally appropriate activities for caregivers and educators to try with their children
Everything said about Animals Move in Youth Services' starred review is also true of Bear Has a Belly: "This book works in all the ways books for littles should work: engaging subject, pleasing presentation, gentle introduction of new vocabulary, lack of stereotyping, and strong construction for repeated reading and handling."
