The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree

A book that has all the right ingredients and which in my experience is one of the all time favourites in the Beginner Books series. It is good to see it among the latest six to appear in soft covers. A superb book whose skillfully used repetition and repeated use of the question 'Do they dare?' really involves the learner in the action and encourages anticipation of what is coming: 'Do they dare go into/that spooky old tree?/Yes./They dare./Three little bears/.../One with a rope./One with a stick./One with a rope./A twisty old stair./Do they dare go up/that twisty old stair?' It works with all ages and is a story to which fluent readers return with enormous pleasure, as well as an excellent one for beginners.