about the book
One day in the park, an unseen narrator explains to the reader what happened to the reader’s sandwich.
You see, it was the bear.
The bear went on a journey, accidentally, from his forest where he accidentally stows away on a berry truck, having eaten lots of berries and settled in the back of the truck for a nap. The bear wakes up to find “high cliffs” (skyscrapers) going by in a “new forest” (a lively city street). The bear decides to make himself at home in the city, climbing up fire escapes, looking through newspapers, unintentionally causing mayhem…
Then the bear arrived at the park, and there it was—your sandwich! Your sandwich, just waiting to be eaten, and since you weren’t going to do it, the bear might as well have it, right? Of course, after eating the sandwich, the bear left for his forest again, leaving no evidence behind.
Can you take the narrator’s word for it?
about the author/illustrator
Julia Sarcone-Roach went to the Rhode Island School of Design, but she didn’t study illustration or literature. Instead she studied film and animation. While in college, she made an animated film called “Call of the Wild.” It was about animals in houses all connected by a phone line! It has become famous in film festivals throughout the world.
Julia grew up in Arlington, Virginia. She loved to draw and paint, and when she got older, she was able to work in a children’s bookstore, where she really learned to appreciate picture books. She also liked sequential art (comic books) and now, when she writes, she visualizes the illustrations on the pages of her picture books from various angles and in several stages, just like comics. It is a way for her to enjoy both animation and painting.
For the illustrations in The Bear Ate Your Sandwich, Julia set up light studies and found a lunch box to sketch. She even used a real bear in her studies—a stuffed one, of course!
Julia has an assistant writer, Holly, the cat. She is in charge of naps and biting! They live in Brooklyn, New York.
Sources:
Author/Illustrator website
Author/Illustrator interview: Book By Its Cover
Author/Illustrator spotlight : Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Book trailer: The Bear Ate Your Sandwich
Also by Julia Sarcone-Roach:
The Subway Story. Knopf Books for Young Readers. 2011.
The Secret Plan. Knopf Books for Young Readers. 2009.
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