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6th out of 37 books
—
87 voters
Old Bear
by
Kevin Henkes
Snug and warm, curled and furry, Old Bear sleeps.
Red, orange, and brown leaves fly through the air, and it is snowing hard. Old Bear doesn't notice.
Old Bear is dreaming about being a cub again. He is dreaming about the beauty of the world. He is dreaming of everything he loves about the forest that is his home.
Turn the page and you will see!
Red, orange, and brown leaves fly through the air, and it is snowing hard. Old Bear doesn't notice.
Old Bear is dreaming about being a cub again. He is dreaming about the beauty of the world. He is dreaming of everything he loves about the forest that is his home.
Turn the page and you will see!
Hardcover, 32 pages
Published
August 19th 2008
by Greenwillow Books
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The leaves on the inside front cover and the flowers on the inside back cover orient the reader to what season we are in. The title page introduces us to a friendly-looking bear who is sitting fat and happy, and as we turn to the verso and dedication page, our fat and happy bear is beginning his journey into a long winter's nap. The illustrations are easily readable, and very expressive without words.
As the story continues and the text is added, Henkes does a marvelous job of telling the story...more
As the story continues and the text is added, Henkes does a marvelous job of telling the story...more
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Readers are immersed into the warm, colorful and imaginative pages beautifully illustrated by Kevin Henkes in Old Bear. After several readings of Old Bear, including a read-aloud for my first-grade class, I have concluded that it is a children’s picture book worthy of consideration for the Caldecott Medal.
Few words are needed to tell the story of the old bear sleeping through the winter and dreaming of his younger, cub days. The seasons and color schemes change as we turn each page. Children...more
The leaves on the inside front cover and the flowers on the inside back cover orient the reader to what season we are in. The title page introduces us to a friendly-looking bear who is sitting fat and happy, and as we turn to the verso and dedication page, our fat and happy bear is beginning his journey into a long winter's nap. The illustrations are easily readable, and very expressive without words.
As the story continues and the text is added, Henkes does a marvelous job of telling the story...more
As the story continues and the text is added, Henkes does a marvelous job of telling the story...more
Old Bear tells the story of a bear hibernating during the winter. As he sleeps, he is filled with memories of past seasons. When he awakes, he discovers that it is already spring. Old Bear is a gentle book, filled with soft, friendly illustrations painted in pastel watercolor and outlined with darker ink. The book differentiates between the present and the past through a clever change in layout and color. The scenes in the cave are single page illustrations, outlined in black, with black text on...more
Dec 01, 2009
Mary Lourdes
added it
Book Review 2 – Picture Book
Author: Henkes, Kevin
Title: Old Bear
Publisher: Harper Collins
Imprint: Greenwillow Books
Edition: library
13 Digit ISBN: 978-0-06-155206
Price: $17.99
Number of Pages: unpaged
Includes: illustrations
Rating: 4 stars
Format: Prose
Genre: Easy Fiction
Old Bear falls asleep for the winter. He dreams of spring and summer. When he wakes up, it truly is spring. The language of the story is simple, but with imagery. The artwork is in the pastel style. The use of color is great; it re...more
Author: Henkes, Kevin
Title: Old Bear
Publisher: Harper Collins
Imprint: Greenwillow Books
Edition: library
13 Digit ISBN: 978-0-06-155206
Price: $17.99
Number of Pages: unpaged
Includes: illustrations
Rating: 4 stars
Format: Prose
Genre: Easy Fiction
Old Bear falls asleep for the winter. He dreams of spring and summer. When he wakes up, it truly is spring. The language of the story is simple, but with imagery. The artwork is in the pastel style. The use of color is great; it re...more
Old Bear; Kevin Henkes (2008) Harper Collins Children
Late one fall, even before the first snow fall, Old Bear curled up in a den for a long winter's nap. Off into a deep sleep, full of pleasant dreams, he dreams of springtime and his earlier days as a playful cub -- huge colorful flowers as large as trees. Summertime with the sun as big and bright as a giant daisy, and autumn dreams with all the colorful reds, orange and browns. Even the cold winter made him dream of ice and pretty bright stars....more
Late one fall, even before the first snow fall, Old Bear curled up in a den for a long winter's nap. Off into a deep sleep, full of pleasant dreams, he dreams of springtime and his earlier days as a playful cub -- huge colorful flowers as large as trees. Summertime with the sun as big and bright as a giant daisy, and autumn dreams with all the colorful reds, orange and browns. Even the cold winter made him dream of ice and pretty bright stars....more
Old Bear by Kevin Henkes is a hibernation story about a bear who dreams his way through the winter.
As leaves fly and snowfall begins, Old Bear finds a hollow tree and quickly falls asleep. Old Bear dreams of the four seasons, picturing himself as a cub sleeping in a giant pink Spring crocus. Bear's Summer dream features a daisy as the sun and blueberry rainfall. The Autumn dream features the world in yellows, oranges, and reds including the birds, fish and water. Bear's Winter dream shows the wo...more
As leaves fly and snowfall begins, Old Bear finds a hollow tree and quickly falls asleep. Old Bear dreams of the four seasons, picturing himself as a cub sleeping in a giant pink Spring crocus. Bear's Summer dream features a daisy as the sun and blueberry rainfall. The Autumn dream features the world in yellows, oranges, and reds including the birds, fish and water. Bear's Winter dream shows the wo...more
A delightful take on waht goes on when a bear hibernates. Henkes takes us intot he bear's mind, where he dreams (in vivid colors) of each season, ending with winter. By this time, it's spring outside and Old Bear is thrilled to find it's not just a dream anymore. I really enjoyed the silliness of the dreams, as well as the use of color in each season. The illustrations are done in the style of A Good Day and Kitten's First Full Moon, which fits the style (bears should be fat, right?). The endpap...more
What: This book is about Old Bear and what he dreams while he is hibernating. As he dreams, he moves throughout the different seasons. When he wakes up again and steps out of his cave, it is finally springtime.
So What: This book could introduce topics such as hibernating and/or the seasons. Student's must know what happens during different seasons and how the environment around them changes.
Now What: The students could each create their own diorama of a season of their choice. In order to make...more
So What: This book could introduce topics such as hibernating and/or the seasons. Student's must know what happens during different seasons and how the environment around them changes.
Now What: The students could each create their own diorama of a season of their choice. In order to make...more
I would give either one and a half or two stars to this book.
Kevin Henkes has done a stunning job of crafting the poignant illustrations found in the pages of this very nice, very simple story about a bear hibernating through the winter while dreaming about all the seasons of his life, including when he was a young cub. The renderings of each of these seasons will amaze fans of picture book art, and once again give fresh perspective to the incredible versatility of Kevin Henkes. The style of h...more
Kevin Henkes has done a stunning job of crafting the poignant illustrations found in the pages of this very nice, very simple story about a bear hibernating through the winter while dreaming about all the seasons of his life, including when he was a young cub. The renderings of each of these seasons will amaze fans of picture book art, and once again give fresh perspective to the incredible versatility of Kevin Henkes. The style of h...more
Sweet and very quiet. But my rambunctious grandsons loved it and have asked to read it again and again.
Wow.
The illustrations in this book are beautiful.
I spent time looking at each spread,
and wishing that I could have a print of each one to put up on my wall, to inspire me.
What a sweet story about Old Bear and the seasons.
I really like the simple use of metaphor and simile in a few of the seasons.
It would be an easy way for children to understand that!
Haiku Review:
Old Bear takes his nap
And dreams of seasons gone by
when will he wake up?
The illustrations in this book are beautiful.
I spent time looking at each spread,
and wishing that I could have a print of each one to put up on my wall, to inspire me.
What a sweet story about Old Bear and the seasons.
I really like the simple use of metaphor and simile in a few of the seasons.
It would be an easy way for children to understand that!
Haiku Review:
Old Bear takes his nap
And dreams of seasons gone by
when will he wake up?
I adore this picture book. Kevin Henkes's artwork is beautiful, as always. It's a simple story - it could almost work as a wordless book - that appeals to a broad age group. The bold lines and vivid colors make it very toddler-friendly, but the story works just as well for pre-k and kindergarten. The older children enjoy spotting the dream elements of bear's version of the seasons. (They especially like the part where it rains blueberries.)
The story Old Bear has BEAUTIFUL illustrations. It is a very simple story that integrates the four seasons and how they change from one to another throughout the year. My Kindergarten students were intrigued by this book because of it's beautiful pictures. The illustrations themselves really tell the story even more than the words do. It is very appropriate for emergent readers and using the pictures to help understand the story.
A simple book to go along with a unit on the seasons and the characteristics of each. For younger grades, talking about the colors that are used on each page. What do these colors make us feel?
Old Bear has a dream and this book is about that dream, so you could also use this book during Writer's Workshop to inspire the students to think about something that they have dreamt about and write/illustrate it.
Old Bear has a dream and this book is about that dream, so you could also use this book during Writer's Workshop to inspire the students to think about something that they have dreamt about and write/illustrate it.
Pre-k-3rd grades
Henkes uses watercolor and ink to display colors that reflect the seasons. The art on the endpages of the book also reflect the changing of seasons. The text is also written in various colors that mirror the artwork on each page. The familiarity of the seasons and dreams will draw children in.
Science/Social Studies
Lesson idea: Explore the different places where bears live.
Henkes uses watercolor and ink to display colors that reflect the seasons. The art on the endpages of the book also reflect the changing of seasons. The text is also written in various colors that mirror the artwork on each page. The familiarity of the seasons and dreams will draw children in.
Science/Social Studies
Lesson idea: Explore the different places where bears live.
I'm giving this five stars based on the artwork alone, but the story isn't too shabby, either. It has almost a Zhuangzi-like quality to it. Henkes captures the feel of each season perfectly in color choice and texture. I love how when the bear wakes up the real world turns out to be just as amazing as the dream world, and he has to take a moment to gauge which one he is actually in.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Gosh, I just want to snuggle up to Old Bear! Isn't he the cutest!? The story is simple and whimsical--Old Bear hibernates and has fanciful dreams of being a cub again, sleeping in a flower in spring, catching blueberry-raindrops on his tongue in summer. The illustrations are warm and interesting and capture the curiosity and appreciation for nature that Bear feels.
I love the art of Kevin Henkes, and my children do too. This book, which is vibrantly colorful, is a simple one that allows the art to carry it, which is fine. The touches of whimsy (a daisy sun, raining blueberries, sleeping in a pink crocus) will appeal to younger readers at about age 3-4, but older kids will love looking at the outstanding art.
The book tells about the different seasons that the bear experiences. So teacher can explain on the basic features of the seasons. Also, we read from the perspective of the bear, so students learn a little about the bear. They also learn about bears hibernating. This can lead to a discussion or activity about animals that hibernate in the winter and why.
I think I could probably stare at that spread of the snowy night landscape with the multi-colored stars for hours, but my son made me turn the page. He's not super patient with these things. The red river of red fish is nice too.
Turns out there are a lot of picture books about hibernating bears, but they are all pretty good, so that's okay.
Turns out there are a lot of picture books about hibernating bears, but they are all pretty good, so that's okay.
Go figure that this is the same author who wrote Wemberly's Ice Cream Star (which I just reviewed) and Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse and Chrysanthemum. This book depicts Old Bear dreaming about the different seasons. I liked how the dreams took a couple details of the season and them emphasized them. Nice artwork.
This is a nice Kevin Henkes book but I have had to check out three times to remember I already read it. This is a bear that remembers the seasons of his childhood. This will be a great book for teachers needing a book for a seasonal theme..... But it will not be like Lilys purple plastic purse that will never be forgotten. Ages 3+
Henkes has such amazing art style that I just can't put him down. I find myself dreaming along with Old Bear in his cave, imagining just how delightful it would be to sleep in a tree-sized crocus, or how tasty fresh blueberry rain would taste.
Henkes deserves to be a coffee table book; his works are just that delightful.
Henkes deserves to be a coffee table book; his works are just that delightful.
This book is a great way to show our children the seasons, in an interesting way! The Bear in this story dreams about all the seasons, and when he wakes up, SURPRISE! it's Spring-time for him to wake up. I think this is a good book to ask questions along the way, to get the kid's involved in the book!
Old Bear dreams about the four season while he's hibernating for the winter. Simultaneously teaches about bears hibernating for the weather as well as the changes characteristic of each of the four seasons. Great for preschoolers--pictures are colorful and illustrative of each season. Really cute book.
This book is a great book for young students. It talks about the seasons so it could be used for that. I love the illustrations they are kind of unique. I have used this book to talk about setting, character, and beginning, middle, and end. It is just a nice book that engages children.
I liked this book the second I saw the happy bear on the cover. The illustrations are so colorful and simple and expressive. My baby was very drawn to them. This is the perfect length for reading before bed, and the text is simple but endearing. I'd give it a 4.5 if I could.
I have always enjoyed reading books by Kevin Henkes, but I think this is one of my favorite books written by him so far. I read this to my pre-k class and we went over the different seasons. The illustrations are beautiful and it is a very well written book.
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Kevin Henkes became an author/illustrator when he was nineteen years old, working on a card table in his bedroom.
Today he's the author of many award-winning picture books and novels.
More about Kevin Henkes...
Today he's the author of many award-winning picture books and novels.
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