What would happen if two bear cubs wandered right into the middle of town? What if they walked into buildings and began to explore? That is exactly what Pete and Gabby do in the book, Pete & Gabby: The Bears Go To Town. Pete and Gabby get lonely when the campers all go home, so they go looking for people and adventure.

Kay Winters has written a humorous story about two troublesome bear cubs that holds the attention of young children. Pete & Gabby: The Bears Go To Town is a sixty-four page beginning-reader chapter book, with a large font that is easy to read. The book is also a smaller sized hardcover, which is perfect for beginning readers to hold. It is divided into 6 short chapters, with brightly colored watercolor and pencil illustrations by Katherine Kirkland. This story is very cute, and my younger children all enjoy it. I've read it aloud to my non-readers, and they still like to sit and look at the pictures. My 8-year-old has read it to himself, and enjoyed it. It's just a fun book to read together!

Although we all like the book, I do have two issues with it. I could not get over the fact that two bears coming into town is a serious problem in some areas, not just a funny story. It also bothered me that there weren't any consequences for the bears' actions, and the story implied that they'd come back again sometime, even though they were told that town isn't for bears. That isn't the type of message I want to send to my kids, so I have to end the story with a commentary on the bears' behavior every time I read it.

Despite those two issues, we still enjoy Pete & Gabby: The Bears Go To Town, and we will continue to read it. It's a fun addition to our family library!

Product Review by April Elstrom, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, April, 2012