Koala Is Not a Bear

K-Gr 2–Koala is off to camp and is excited and a little worried about being away from her family for the first time. When she arrives, she is unsure which cabin she belongs in. All of the other animals are bunked with others that are like them. Finally Grizzly Bear invites her to bear cabin, but “know-it-all” Kangaroo has quite a lot to say about that. Kangaroo insists that Koala is not part of the bear family, even though she appears to have many similarities. With each fact that Kangaroo throws at her, Koala become more and more unsure where she belongs. When Koala turns to a picture of her family for solace, Kangaroo suddenly realizes that she and Koala have many of the same family members. In the end, Kangaroo decides to be less bossy and more welcoming to her cousin as they prepare to share the marsupial cabin. The end notes of this book give a few facts about koalas and why they are called bears but are actually part of the marsupial family. The illustrations are bright and cartoonish, with high child appeal.