Artistic reunions after decades apart can be nerve-\ufeffracking for fans. What if your idols have lost their spark? Happily, devotees of We\u2019re Going on a Bear Hunt can rest easy\ufeff: \ufeffthe duo behind the 1989 hit that sold over 14m copies worldwide\ufeff, spawning TV and theatre adaptations and a sculpture trail, are back together; and the new output\ufeff is a joy.<\/p>\n
While author Michael Rosen and illustrator Helen Oxenbury have independently enjoyed successful careers since introducing their bear and the five kids\ufeff who squelched through the countryside to find it, Oh Dear, Look What I Got! (Walker, 11 Sept) is further evidence that they were born to work together. Rosen\u2019s witty verse recounts a simple shopping trip gone wrong \u2013 a child goes off to buy a carrot and gets given a parrot, a goat instead of a coat and so on \u2013 while Oxenbury\u2019s expressive characters gasp and grin through the chaos. The cover design neatly echoes that of Bear Hunt with the book\u2019s cast strutting across it, and the bright red of both the parrot and the child\u2019s jacket, nattily cinched in with a belt, pop beautifully. But this is no sequel (though a bear does feature) \u2013 rather a slightly simpler tale with a fun twist, and another catchy (and very relatable) refrain: \u201cOh dear, look what I got! Do I want that? No I do not!\u201d<\/p>\n