Robert Kinerk

A young bear, safely hibernating through his first winter in this rhyming holiday tale, is awakened by a faraway sound, soft and mysterious, and sets out through the snowy landscape to investigate. Coming across a series of animals in need of his aid along the way - a hungry crow with whom he shares his honey; a moose who needs help in cracking the ice in a nearby bog, in order to eat the weeds; a pheasant family whose nest has been destroyed by falling snow - the bear soon has companions, show more in his quest. When the animals do find the source of the mysterious sound - a cabin in the woods, in which a human family are celebrating Christmas by singing carols, around their decorated tree - they are caught up in the magic of the season, and, returning to the bear's snug lair, see it all around them...

Although I appreciated the message here - that the Christmas spirit is about sharing with one another, and that humble abodes are as fitting a locale for the season, as any other - and enjoyed the gentle, rhyming text, the real star of Bear's First Christmas, for me, was Jim LaMarche's beautiful acrylic and colored pencil artwork. The animals have a soft furry and feathery quality to them, that is very appealing, and the winter landscapes are lovely. It probably helps that I love wintry scenes! I particularly liked the image in which all the animals are gazing in the window at the Christmas tree - just adorable! All in all, a sweet little holiday read, one I would recommend to young animals lovers looking for seasonal stories. show less

Bear's First Christmas is such a sweet book for young children! The rhyming words keeps you intrigued while the illustrations are amazing. Children will love the details and all the animals. It even teaches kindness, friendship, and sacrifice.

This book was very lengthy but enjoyable to read. My favorite part of this book was the illustrations. They were so detailed and colorful. After i was done reading each page i would take a few seconds to review the pictures. I like how they were playful with the text on the page was."Upward they soared" was curved towards the sky. I thought this was fitting because Pig and Cow were going up towards the sky. The main message of this book is never give up on your dreams and goals and hard work show more pays off. show less

I love this book and think it could be really useful. Every poem in this book is written to teach some kind of life lesson like saying please and thank you, giving a good handshake, and how to interrupt if you need something. I think this is good for younger audiences because the language is simple and it’s best to get these things in their heads while they’re younger. The poems don’t have all the bells and whistles like poetry for older audiences but I actually like that because show more it’s easy to comprehend, there’s no room for s misinterpretation. I also enjoy the really cute and graphic photos. I think it adds a fun touch for kids. show less