Little Bear

Else Holmelund Minarik's five Little Bear books, which followed their eponymous ursine hero through some of the adventures of childhood, were one of the staples of my own personal library as a girl, and I recall reading them over and over again, until my copies fell apart. Gentle and reassuring, they are also wonderfully and subtly humorous, offering a perfectly realized depiction of a young child's interaction with the people and places in his own small world. Like subsequent installments, this first title contains four stories, each of which gently highlights some reality of child life.

In What Will Little Bear Wear?, our little hero repeatedly brings his sartorial troubles to Mother Bear, confident in her ability to solve the problem, show more only to learn eventually that he had what he needed all along. Birthday Soup plays with the common childhood fear of having one's birthday forgotten, allowing Little Bear the opportunity to make something for himself, before reassurance (and cake!) are offered. Little Bear Goes to the Moon sees the adorable bear setting off to have an adventure far away, discovering upon his return that playing a stranger is only fun if the strength of love and home are a solid reality, behind the make-believe. And finally, Little Bear's Wish finds the ursine mother and son enjoying the intimacy of bedtime, as Little Bear learns that some wishes are more likely to be granted than others, and that Mother Bear has wishes of her own.

Originally published in 1957, Little Bear was the very first entry in HarperCollins' iconic I Can Read collection, which to this day is considered one of the best beginning reader series available. It was an auspicious beginning, as it perfectly captures the gentle rhythms of childhood exploration and retreat, and of the child's bond with his mother. Rereading it as an adult, I was struck by the often humorous nature of the exchanges between Little Bear and Mother Bear, with their sly back-and-forth dialogue. Text and artwork - the latter supplied by the immensely talented Maurice Sendak, whose Where the Wild Things Are offers another perceptive depiction of childhood reality - make it clear that Mother Bear knows and understands her son's need for both freedom and safety: his desire to explore the outside world and then return to her. The sympathy for the child perspective that is evident here never feels condescending, however, and even though this is a book for younger children, the author respects her audience enough to be honest with them about some of the limitations - not every wish will be granted, for instance - that they will inevitably confront.

Beautifully written and illustrated, Little Bear is more than deserving of its status as a classic of children's literature, and belongs in every young person's library! Highly, highly recommended to all beginning readers. show less

It is more than Sendak’s fine line art that endears these stories to me, my wife, and our children. Rather, it is Minarik’s writing, her depiction of Little Bear as a funny and odd little character, and the funny and odd little adventures he has alone or with Cat, Duck, and Hen. Each of Little Bear’s adventures, whether making birthday soup for friends instead of a cake, trying his best to jump to the moon, or wishing for a series of fantastic things before bedtime, tell a story about an adorable and quirky character with a playful imagination. I do question the book’s rating as level one reader. While Levinson’s Clara and the Bookwagon (1988) is rated appropriately at level three because of its single story structure and show more social themes, Little Bear, with Minarik’s playful prose, would be better rated at level two like Lobel’s much simpler Days with Frog and Toad (1979). The book is recommended for children age four to eight. show less

The little bear series is cute, comforting and feels like cotton candy--sweet and airless.

I'm not a great fan of this series. I know I'm in the minority and that many adults have fond memories of this series.

The illustrations of Sendak are, as always delightful. These were drawn at an early time in his career and the images and softer and darling (not a word that Sendak would appreciate.)

This book is broken into four stories of little bear and his adventures. He looks for something to wear and then realizes that he carries his warmth of fur with him wherever he goes.

Fearful that his family and friends will not remember his birthday, he invites them for soup. Delightfully surprised, he is given a large cake with candles.

In the third show more story little bear makes a space helmet and tries to go to the moon. Tumbling and falling, he returns to home where he eats lunch and is secure in the love of his mother.

The final story contains lush drawings of the wishes of little bear. show less

I love little bear. I remember reading the books with my grandma when I was little and watching the cartoon. I have always loved the story lines. Little Bear was always such an interesting character to me because he encountered tough moral situations but handled in a child's way, but I don't think I caught onto it until I was much older.

This first Little Bear book was unexpectedly basic-dickandjaney--we are exhorted to "see the snow" THREE times on the first page--and so I dunno if Elsa Holmelund Minarik decided to re-target her series at an older audience with Little Bear's Friend or what, but that story is more engaging and this one is very slow (though at least Little Bear doesn't cry at everything like his human alter ego Caillou).

I chose to read this book, because it reminded me of my childhood. We had this exact same easy reader when I was little and I read it so many times that I knew it by heart. It was one of my favorites.

I read this book for the Childhood Favourites Reading Challenge. When I learned about this challenge, I immediately thought of this book. It was the first book I ever read, so it holds a special place in my heart. I stood in the children's section of our local library today and read it, chuckling to myself as I read the text and enjoyed the pictures, especially of Little Bear and his "space helmet" made from a box and his mother surprising him and his friends with birthday cake!