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57th out of 2,250 books
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3,498 voters
Little Bear (Little Bear #1)
Enter the world of Little Bear. Children will be entranced by Little Bear's trip to the moon, his birthday party, and his wishes and adventures.
This is the first of the five classic books about Little Bear, introducing the funny and strikingly childlike bear cub and his friends. The combination of Else Holmelund Minarik's simple, yet eloquent, stories and Maurice Sendak's
...morePaperback, 64 pages
Published
July 1st 1999
by Scholastic, Inc.
(first published 1957)
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Mar 15, 2009
Dolly
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
parents reading with their children
Cute book with four stories (or chapters) that will entertain young children and is a great building block for early readers. This version came with a CD, which is fun to listen to and follow along in the book. I'm sure I read this as a child, but I remembered the illustrations more than the stories themselves.
Jan 2012 update: Our youngest brought this book home from her first grade class as part of her reading homework. It wasn't much of a challenge for her, but we all enjoyed reading it togeth...more
Jan 2012 update: Our youngest brought this book home from her first grade class as part of her reading homework. It wasn't much of a challenge for her, but we all enjoyed reading it togeth...more
First book I read by myself. My level of reading is still about the same. I point to the words and speak the story out loud, struggling with anything more than two syllables. I still scribble in books too with crayons. My Mum now refuses to read this with me at bedtime. Well she is 82 after all!
Birthday soup will remain part of my inner child forever.
Birthday soup will remain part of my inner child forever.
Sep 10, 2010
Jesse
added it
This book provided one of my most memorable and most treasured moments in the classroom this last summer.
Me: "So how would you get to the moon?"
Entering first grade student: "Well, I would take the bus to the end of the line and get a transfer to the moon."
Only in San Francisco! :)
Me: "So how would you get to the moon?"
Entering first grade student: "Well, I would take the bus to the end of the line and get a transfer to the moon."
Only in San Francisco! :)
Mommy's review from 12/14/11 -
Julia's liked the Little Bear cartoons since she started watching t.v. way back when. I find the books far more boring than the cartoons. Julia says she wasn't bored with this but I could see her starting to get antsy. If it had gone on much longer I think she'd have started losing interest.
It's just so repetitive. I know repetitive books make great learning tools, trust me, I use them myself. But not every book has to repeat the same thing over and over and over a...more
Julia's liked the Little Bear cartoons since she started watching t.v. way back when. I find the books far more boring than the cartoons. Julia says she wasn't bored with this but I could see her starting to get antsy. If it had gone on much longer I think she'd have started losing interest.
It's just so repetitive. I know repetitive books make great learning tools, trust me, I use them myself. But not every book has to repeat the same thing over and over and over a...more
I love Little Bear! And his mother! These sweet, humorous and thoughtful stories are a gem among I Can Read Books and truly deserve their status as a children's classic. Minarik's warm, witty stories pair beautifully with Sendak's charming illustrations (cozily old-fashioned and capturing all of the imagination of the story, yet I appreciate that the bears look like *real* bears--albeit with clothes on). I think my favorite story is the one where Little Bear wants to fly to the moon, but all the...more
This, I can honestly say, was one of my favorite middle reader books when I was growing up. I just loved Little Bear, Mother Bear and all his friends. I know that it was mostly because of Maurice Senadak and his amazing illustrations. They were simple but intricate line drawings but they were colored in which made them pop. I like the borders on each page. It was beautiful scroll work that drew your eyes to the text and illustrations. Mr. Sendak brought Little Bear to life for me! I also really...more
Nov 27, 2011
Courtney
added it
My choice for the easy to read selection was Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik and illustrated by Maurice Sendak. This is a book with four different stories included about Little Bear, his mother and some of his friends. The first story is titled What will Little Bear Wear? and introduces the reader to Little Bear and his mother as we see how and what little bear wears to play outside. The second story was Birthday Soup and was about Little Bear's birthday and his party and how he made soup...more
Little Bear is my easy-to-read book. In this book, there is 4 chapters. The first is about Little Bear going and playing in the snow until he gets cold. The second is about his birthday and how he makes soup until his mom surprises him with a cake. The third is about how he pretends to go to the moon, and the forth is as he is going to bed. He makes wishes until one comes true.
This is definitely an easy-to-read book. There is nothing but simple words and repetition. Each chapter seems to have a...more
This is definitely an easy-to-read book. There is nothing but simple words and repetition. Each chapter seems to have a...more
I love the little bear stories, I remember when I was little that my mom read them to me. The story I chose to review is What will Little Bear Wear? Little Bear is cold and he wants to put something on, so Mother Bear makes him a hat, coat, and pants but Little Bear is still cold. So Mother Bear asks if he wants a fur coat, and yes he said, so off came the hat, coat, and pants, because underneath the clothes he had his very own fur coat. The simple but well done illustrations along with Little B...more
This is a perfect book. The four stories work well together, culminating in Mother Bear's reference to three of the stories.
The illustrations by Maurice Sendak are outstanding.
Mother Bear and Little Bear could be any mother and any child conversing about ordinary things such as what to wear; what to make on one's birthday; taking an imaginary trip to the moon; making wishes that will not come true (sit on cloud/fly; find Viking boat; find tunnel to China; go to a castle, in a big red car); an...more
The illustrations by Maurice Sendak are outstanding.
Mother Bear and Little Bear could be any mother and any child conversing about ordinary things such as what to wear; what to make on one's birthday; taking an imaginary trip to the moon; making wishes that will not come true (sit on cloud/fly; find Viking boat; find tunnel to China; go to a castle, in a big red car); an...more
This is the first of the five classic books about Little Bear, introducing the funny bear cub & his friends in four stories. Else Holmelund Minarik's simple stories and Maurice Sendak's warm illustrations make Little Bear a favorite among beginning readers. (Goodreads Summary)
Little Bear (Little Bear #1) by Else Holmelund Minarik, illustrated by Maurice Sendak is a chapter book with 4 simple stories. The 4 chapters are: 1) What will Little Bear Wear?; 2)Birthday Soup; 3) Little Bear Goes to...more
Little Bear (Little Bear #1) by Else Holmelund Minarik, illustrated by Maurice Sendak is a chapter book with 4 simple stories. The 4 chapters are: 1) What will Little Bear Wear?; 2)Birthday Soup; 3) Little Bear Goes to...more
This was one of my all time favorite books as a kid, and I was delighted to read it to my own children. Long live Little Bear!
Little Bear, written by Else Holmelund Minarik and illustrated by Maurice Sendak, is a wonderful book that would be appropriate for beginning readers to start reading as they are getting into longer novels. The illustrations throughout this book are spectacular to look at and truly reveal emotion and feeling by looking at them. The words in the book seem to be composed of a lot of site words and simple words that children that are beginning to read would easily recognize. The story is about a li...more
This is a chapter book. The first chapter is about Little Bear wanting something to put on, but he realizes that in the end, he only wants his own fur. The second chapter is about Little Bear's birthday. He thinks his mom forgot about his birthday, so he decides to make Birthday Soup for everyone when they come over. Once they started eating the Birthday Soup, his mom came in with a giant cake. The next chapter is called "Little Bear Goes to the Moon". This is about Little Bear trying to go to t...more
I have read many of these books from this series. I think they are well written books that I have read to many children when babysitting. Children seem to enjoy the characters and illustrations throughout the story. I enjoy reading these books to children because they have a strong moral content, but they don't make it so blatant that the story isn't entertaining. The series would be a great one to have in a preschool through first grade classroom library. The illustrations are done in light col...more
Little Bear is nice and sweet and funny. My kids really enjoyed this. There is a lot of repetition in the text so beginning readers can gain confidence in reading faster.
The stories in this book describe one day in "Little bear's" life and each chapter seems to get progressively more difficult. The first chapter is very repetitive and the sentences are brief. While this may not be the most ideal to read aloud, I imagine it helps a child gain confidence when trying to read it themselves. The second chapter contains less repetition and slightly longer sentences, and the last two chapters have more complex story lines that are even less repetitive but still short a...more
This is an Easy Reader about a young bear and his mother. This is a book which has "chapters" which may excite new readers. The chapters are, in fact, short stories about Little Bear and his mother. The relationship between Little Bear and his mother is quite endearing. Mother Bear and Little Bear definitely love each other very much. I think this would be a great book for a beginning reader to read with a parent just before bedtime because the tales are warm and loving. I would recommend this b...more
Thisk classic beginner reader is best for the child who has been reading for about a year or so. So, depending on how eager the child is, it would be possible to read independently at about first grade. My son has just reread it at the middle of second grade with complete ease but great enjoyment. I am 40 years old and still turn each page with delight and will probably always be charmed by the absolutely lovely and heartwearmingly sweet illustrations of Maurice Sendak.
It is a great first chap...more
It is a great first chap...more
Sweet and gentle.
This was the very favorite book of my middle son, and he was called "little Bear" in the family until he got too old and made us quit. Even now, though, he fully expects to find bears on the wrapping paper of all his Christmas gifts (he is 28; the tradition will die when I do).
This little bear family is very traditional. Mama stays home. Little Bear can go out and play in the woods, but he does not go very far, and his mother's voice calls him in when it is time to eat. Father Bear goes to work...more
This little bear family is very traditional. Mama stays home. Little Bear can go out and play in the woods, but he does not go very far, and his mother's voice calls him in when it is time to eat. Father Bear goes to work...more
Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik is a wonderful and charming easy to read book. There are several small stories in this book that center around a bear cub named Little Bear who acts very similar to young children that are around the age of five or six. Other characters include Little Bear’s mother, Mother Bear, and his friends Duck, Hen, and Cat. There are four stories in the book in which Little Bear goes out to play in the snow, makes birthday soup, goes to the moon, and makes a wish. My...more
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!
This was the only book I read over and over again that it got torn apart and right now I am pretty sure I don't have it anymore but I will probably go out and buy again. I adored Little Bear, both the book AND the TV show on Nick Jr. when I was younger. My grandmother was the only one who understood my love for the bear and was the one who bought me the book and I read it countless times. I will never forget this book. Thank you, Minarik, for creating Little Bear.
One of C's favorites as a kid.
"Then I wish," said Little Bear, "a Mother Bear would come to me and say, 'Would you like to hear a story?'"
"Well," said Mother Bear, "maybe you can have that wish. That is just a little wish."
"Thank you , Mother," said Little Bear. "That is what I really wanted all the time."
"What kind of story would you like to hear?" said Mother Bear.
"Tell me about me," said Little Bear. "Tell me about things I once did."
"Then I wish," said Little Bear, "a Mother Bear would come to me and say, 'Would you like to hear a story?'"
"Well," said Mother Bear, "maybe you can have that wish. That is just a little wish."
"Thank you , Mother," said Little Bear. "That is what I really wanted all the time."
"What kind of story would you like to hear?" said Mother Bear.
"Tell me about me," said Little Bear. "Tell me about things I once did."
This is one of my favorite books from childhood ...
I'm not exactly sure what it was that I loved so much about it, because it's not exactly an exciting story. I recall the illustrations as being somewhat melancholy, but maybe that was my take on them. I also remembering thinking it was sad that mother bear didn't tell him straight away that she had a party planned ... Maybe that's why I liked it. I really empathized with Little Bear.
I'm not exactly sure what it was that I loved so much about it, because it's not exactly an exciting story. I recall the illustrations as being somewhat melancholy, but maybe that was my take on them. I also remembering thinking it was sad that mother bear didn't tell him straight away that she had a party planned ... Maybe that's why I liked it. I really empathized with Little Bear.
The first I Can Read Book is one of the best. Do they get any more charming and sweet than this? When Little Bear thinks he's not going to have a birthday cake, he invites his friends over for birthday soup. Of course his mom brings a cake in at the end. When Little Bear decides to fly to the moon (in 1957, no less), his mom goes along with him and welcomes him to the moon for lunch. Perfect stories with perfect illustrations by Sendak.
This super easy traditional chapter book allows students to read more than one story about little bear. The first is about Little Bear going and playing in the snow until he gets too cold. The second chapter is about his birthday and how he makes soup until his mom surprises him with a cake! Yum! The third is about how he pretends to go to the moon. The forth is as he is going to bed. Always a classic that every child should read at least once in their life.
Minarik's book gives confidence to emergent readers by introducing new words, with repetition, in a safe, predictable plot. Sendak increases the comfortability factor by adding gentle illustrations in neutral tones. With Little Bear, new readers will be free to explore their imagination while strengthening comprehension. While learning new reading skills, they will be assured by Mother Bear's love.
I still remember the thrill of reading this book by myself when I was about five or six. Little Bear is laid out in chapters, albeit very short ones, in which he visits his grandparents, makes a birthday meal, and other brief activities, with little quirky notes throughout. It is a very enjoyable little book. Maurice Sendak's illustrations add immeasurably to its value.
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Else Holmelund Minarik is the author of the Little Bear series of children's books, which were successful as books, and were also made into a successful children's TV series. The Little Bear books sold more than 6 million copies worldwide.
Else Minarik was also the author of another well-known book, No Fighting, No Biting!
She was born in Denmark, and with her family immigrated to the United States...more
More about Else Holmelund Minarik...
Else Minarik was also the author of another well-known book, No Fighting, No Biting!
She was born in Denmark, and with her family immigrated to the United States...more
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1 trivia question
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“Birthday Soup is good to eat, but not as good as Birthday Cake.”
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3 people liked it
“You can't have that wish, my Little Bear,' said Mother Bear.”
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1 person liked it
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Sep 12, 2010 12:48am