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25th out of 51 books
—
14 voters
The Bears on Hemlock Mountain
"There are no bears on Hemlock Mountain, No bears, no bears at all..." Or so young Jonathan is told by the grown-ups as he sets out alone over Hemlock Mountain. But as Jonathan discovers on that cold winter night, grown-ups don't always know...
And there are bears on Hemlock Mountain!
And there are bears on Hemlock Mountain!
Paperback, 64 pages
Published
October 31st 1992
by Aladdin
(first published January 1st 1973)
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(I'm reading all the Newbery Honor books from the year Charlotte's Web got an Honor instead of winning, to see if any of them are any good.)
I could not be more puzzled by this book's Newbery Honor. The Newbery is awarded for the "most distinguished work"; presumably the Honors are given for "distinguished work"; and distinguished is the last word I'd use to describe this ordinary easy-reader. It isn't particularly funny, or poetic, or exciting; it doesn't present a moral in a profound way. They...more
I could not be more puzzled by this book's Newbery Honor. The Newbery is awarded for the "most distinguished work"; presumably the Honors are given for "distinguished work"; and distinguished is the last word I'd use to describe this ordinary easy-reader. It isn't particularly funny, or poetic, or exciting; it doesn't present a moral in a profound way. They...more
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Jun 04, 2012
babyhippoface
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical,
kids-fiction
I'm trying to figure out why this won a 1953 Newbery Honor. At first I thought that 1952 must have been a very unexceptional year for children's literature. Then I looked at the winners. Charlotte's Web was also an Honor that year (along with three others), losing out to Secret of the Andes by Ann Nolan Clark. WHAT THE HECK? Bears on Hemlock Mountain received the same award as Charlotte & Wilbur? Unthinkable. What was this Newbery Committee thinking? How could any other children's book of th...more
How I wish I had the time and energy to devote to an intensive study of the changes and developments of the early Newbery books compared to those of the last ten years. It is amazing when I read some of the wonderful Newbery books written in the last few years, especially those written by Christopher Paul Curtis, Gary Schmidt, Jacqueline Woodson and Patricia Reilly Giff to name a few, and compare them to much earlier works.
Case in point is The Bears On Hemlock Mountain written by Alice Dalgliesh...more
Case in point is The Bears On Hemlock Mountain written by Alice Dalgliesh...more
Jonathan and his family live at the foot of the big hill that is called Hemlock Mountain. One spring, expecting many relatives for a feast, his mother sends him over Hemlock Mountain to fetch a large iron pot from his aunt. All of the adults (except his Uncle James, who has taught him how to observe wildlife) believe that there are no bears on Hemlock Mountain, but Jonathan isn't so sure. Still, he makes it across without meeting any. At his aunt's house he eats too many cookies and falls asleep...more
I loved the woodcut illustrations in this book. I can see how it would be perfect for kids that are just starting to read longer books. It's a Newberry Honor book! Other reviewers seem to think this story is shallow and lame. I think that the story The Bears on Hemlock Mountain reads like an oral tradition or folk tale. There is repetition, which I can see children delighting in memorizing and repeating with their parents or teacher during a read aloud.
This book was written in 1952, but harks b...more
This book was written in 1952, but harks b...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This book is a retelling of a folk tale in which a boy goes over the mountain (alone!) to borrow a black pot from his aunt. The tension, as one might guess, comes from speculating whether there are "bears on hemlock mountain!" It would be great as a short read-aloud in a family or even to just tell as a story. Young readers will have success with this book. Currently APL owns the version with the cover shown here; it was donated to the library in 2-17-1976, which makes it older than I am and ver...more
An amiable story to which any young boy like Jonathon could relate. The imagery was very visual as Jonathon trudged his way up Hemlock "Mountain", his imagination running wild with the possibility of bears hovering around. I liked how both Jonathon and his mother recited the same little chant to themselves, though they were apart, about there not being any bears on Hemlock Mountain. A quick, enjoyable read, though by no means a true literary masterpiece. An interesting selection for a Newbery Ho...more
Basically, this is just a reader with longer chapters. I was expecting something with more oomph, more style, and more plot--especially since this was a Newbery Honor (although, truth be told, I put very little faith in these award committees as I don't feel that they pick the best books). It seems like a fireside story someone would tell in a chapter of a Little House book or something--it's that short.
I'm rather bewildered by this.
I'm rather bewildered by this.
I would probably give this book one and a half stars. It has a nice regional Pennsylvania feel to it, something that means a lot to me personally due to my family's close connections in the rural section of the state.
The Bears on Hemlock Mountain is not typical of what usually received Newbery Honor nods, but it is written in the same Alice Dalgliesh style that garnered her two additional Newbery Honor citations.
The Bears on Hemlock Mountain is not typical of what usually received Newbery Honor nods, but it is written in the same Alice Dalgliesh style that garnered her two additional Newbery Honor citations.
Jun 13, 2012
Emily
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
1001-children-s-books,
newbery
Read this with my 7-year-old son tonight and we both liked it. Mark said it ought to have won a "medal or a trophy or something" so I think he'll be happy to learn that it won the Newbery in 1952. This simple story, based on a regional Pennsylvania tale, is nicely done with just the right amount of suspense for young readers. I enjoyed Dalgliesh's storytelling and the illustrations by Sewell are great.
spoiler alert
i enjoyed this book, a lot, until the final chapter. i don't like hunting or guns or teaching/telling kids that hunting is okay. in the final chapter a bear is stalked and killed.
my own morality won't let me reccommend this book, but for those who see hunting as necessary/useful/pleasurable and want children to be taught that, this would be a good read aloud.
i enjoyed this book, a lot, until the final chapter. i don't like hunting or guns or teaching/telling kids that hunting is okay. in the final chapter a bear is stalked and killed.
my own morality won't let me reccommend this book, but for those who see hunting as necessary/useful/pleasurable and want children to be taught that, this would be a good read aloud.
This was a really scary book. I loved it! It looks like it was written for maybe 3rd graders. The little boy in the story is not afraid of bears and he has to go over the hill to get a pot from his aunt for his mom to make stew. He falls asleep after cookies and milk and then starts out late to get back home. Is there bears or not! Read it and find out!
This kid went on the mountain to get a pot from his aunt, and when he got it, his mom told him to get back. Bears were coming, so he hid under the pot. His dad and his uncles came looking for him, so the bears went away. The kid was hiding under the pot to act like a bear so he wouldn't get hurt. The uncle that he liked the best was Uncle James.
This is a simple story with a satisfying arc. This could work as independent reading for 2nd or 3rd graders. If done as a class read aloud, I imagine the class chanting along "There are...no bears...on Hemlock Mountain!" Fun reading and well-crafted.
This book came highly recommended, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. I read it with Grant, and it was a quick read, but we didn't really get anything out of it. We finished the story thinking, "What was the point?" Disappointment.
I read the reissued 1952 edition of this book. I really liked the printed illustrations and the clever, simple story. There is lots of room for discussion (responsibility, family, danger etc) so the story is still relevant to today's kids.
I picked this book up on audio when I was looking for something short. I remembered seeing this on one of my "good books for kids" reading lists and figured it was a Newberry Honor book so it would be a safe bet. What I failed to realize was that the target audience of this book is beginning chapter book readers. So although the story was pleasant enough it didn't really seem fleshed out or in depth enough for 64 pages. The author states it is a small tall tale and I think as such it may have be...more
The stars are only given for the artwork. This book pretty much bombed. Super boring, unrealistic, will never get those teaching days back. In the vast library of kidlit I don't understand why our school assigned this one. Don't waste your time.
A perfect book for ages 6 to 10. How my children loved it when they were little. The repetition of "There are NO bears on Hemlock Mountain" add to the delight, along with the illustrations by Helen Sewell.
Although this book is short and easy to read, it's full of excitement and suspense. It's a great beginning chapter book for a child to read by himself, but it's also a fun read aloud.
Assigned reading but read-aloud to younger child. Six year old enjoyed the simple story. I'm not impressed by the author for children with more advanced comprehension skills.
Newbery Honor Book. In this pioneer story, Jonathan is sent by his mother to borrow an iron pot from an aunt who lives on the other side of Hemlock Mountain. Grades 2+
I thought this was a great read alound with the kids. We read it in two days. They would have done it in one but I was busy. cute story.
A sweet little story for students craving chapter books. Has the feel of a folk tale. I would include it in this unit
This book was good it is about a kid who i forgot the name of because i read it so long ago, actually it was not that long ago
Great book for the whole family.... adventure in the big outdoors. fun, clean, and a little bit suspenseful. love it.
May 15, 2012
Stephanie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommended to Stephanie by:
Sonlight
Shelves:
homeschool,
homeschool-3rd
This is an easy reader. The style is very sensory based (the five senses). What a great read for children.
It was ok... Really fast, and really repetetive. I don't know why it's a newberry, but it's all right.
Nov 30, 2009
Natalie
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommended to Natalie by:
NEH Children's Classics list
Shelves:
childrens-books
I found this book a little tedious. I much preferred The Courage of Sarah Noble by the same author.
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Family: Born in Trinidad, British West Indies; naturalized U.S. citizen; died in Woodbury, CT; daughter of John and Alice (Haynes) Dalgliesh.
Educator, editor, book reviewer, and author, Dalgliesh was an elementary school teacher for nearly seventeen years, and later taught a course in children's literature at Columbia University. From 1934 to 1960 she served as children's book editor for Charles...more
More about Alice Dalgliesh...
Educator, editor, book reviewer, and author, Dalgliesh was an elementary school teacher for nearly seventeen years, and later taught a course in children's literature at Columbia University. From 1934 to 1960 she served as children's book editor for Charles...more
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