The 2026 picture book a bear, a man, and a donut van is surprisingly good.
I say surprisingly in part because I had not read the other books in the series written by Daniel Bernstrom and illustrated by Brandon James Scott (though I plan to soon), but in part because the book itself works so well with so few words.
The first two-page spread has just two words: “a bear.” The next has just five: “a man” on one page and “a donut van” on the next. That’s a very slow pace, even for a children’s books, and shows good control of the material (and trust in the illustrator).
The book rhymes, but because of the slow start, the rhymes only start to emerge on the third spread, and emerge through repetition, which both helps make this a good book to read out loud and helps young kids recognize/anticipate what’s going on. At times the rhyme is quietly ambitious, as when “a praying man” is rhymed with “a swaying van.”
The images are colorful, and use both shape and motion well. They enable a lively plot that twists and turns, and, as a whole, makes this book fun.
