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Do Your ABCs Little Brown Bear
While walking home through the woods, Little Brown Bear names all the fun games he plays with Papa Brown Bear, from wearing an acorn hat to splashing in the pond, in this fun-filled alphabet picture book with colorful illustrations throughout.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
About the author
Jonathan London
195 books202 followersJonathan London is the author of several celebrated children's books. His commitment to honoring the wonders of the natural world has been lauded by readers and critics alike. He is the author of more than 70 children's books, many of which are about nature. He's also the author of the popular Froggy series. He lives in Graton, California with his wife and two sons.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
March 27, 2014
Do Your ABC’S, Little Brown Bear is an adventure and playful story for children who enjoy reading and learning their alphabet letters. When I went to the library to pick up an alphabet book, I saw several different kinds. Some books have pictures with few words; basically it is just the alphabet letters of something. I decided to check out this book because of the great story line that goes along with the alphabet letters. Little Brown Bear and Papa Brown Bear are closed buddies, and they both explored many outdoor activities such as: grass fight, splashing in the pond, whistling through an acorn hat, baseball game, etc. until they came home. Each particular activities or adventure they faced, Little Brown Bear would name something that started with the appropriate letter.
I noticed that this book did contain more words than other alphabet books; however, I still think that it is easy to follow along and great for children to explore the different types of activities that Little Brown Bear and Papa Brown Bear did. I think the pictures are colorful and great for children to make connection to. Children may have some experiences with their parents just like Little Brown Bear. Children can have share moments to discuss connections they have beside learning their ABC’S.
I think this book is more for children who are already advanced in their alphabet letters, especially for the gifted and talented children. A great activity that these students could do is to come out with some activities that they do that start with the alphabet. After reading this book to the class, students could make their own book or story of alphabet letters. It is great for poetry or storytelling.
I noticed that this book did contain more words than other alphabet books; however, I still think that it is easy to follow along and great for children to explore the different types of activities that Little Brown Bear and Papa Brown Bear did. I think the pictures are colorful and great for children to make connection to. Children may have some experiences with their parents just like Little Brown Bear. Children can have share moments to discuss connections they have beside learning their ABC’S.
I think this book is more for children who are already advanced in their alphabet letters, especially for the gifted and talented children. A great activity that these students could do is to come out with some activities that they do that start with the alphabet. After reading this book to the class, students could make their own book or story of alphabet letters. It is great for poetry or storytelling.
October 1, 2019
The book doesn’t really have a concrete flow of the story, the little brown bear and his papa do a bunch of stuff but not in a specific order. It is as if they just did anything the next letter of the alphabet started with. It does makes sense for kids to read this book since it has a lot of words they could learn because of the illustrations.
The book reminded me of my childhood and how I always loved to play with my dad.
I would recommend this book for children to improve their vocabulary and word knowledge.
The book reminded me of my childhood and how I always loved to play with my dad.
I would recommend this book for children to improve their vocabulary and word knowledge.
May 27, 2017
A little Bear and his papa bear was out in the woods; the baby asks his Papa what they want to do so his Papa (Daddy) tells him he wants him to work on his ABCs. So he goes along and thinks of things along that goes with things of the alphabet like K for the kite that they fly together. H for the hug Papa gives him. They continue doing this all through their walk home. Very nice creative book that will spark creativity in your child.
May 14, 2019
A fun, sweet story ... The story naturally incorporates the alphabet as Little Bear and Papa Bear spend the day doing fun things together. Each page includes an animal or other object that starts with the highlighted letter. Not one that I'd necessarily purchase, but it was a fun preschool library read.
December 19, 2017
Papa Brown Bear walks around with Little Brown Bear and asks him to do his ABCs by naming things he sees with a corresponding letter. This is a great idea to do with your children who are learning their ABCs!
April 15, 2019
This is a good narrative for children learning the alphabet. It is a bit wordy, but if your child has the attention for it, the story adds to the experience of applying the alphabet to familiar words.
February 4, 2024
London Odyssey #65
Learning the alphabet wrapped around a story with title bear character reappearing after learning to count in a previous book, later on we might get learn your nuclear physics little brown bear!
Learning the alphabet wrapped around a story with title bear character reappearing after learning to count in a previous book, later on we might get learn your nuclear physics little brown bear!
July 17, 2019
I always like this one because there are several pictures on each page that start with the letter they are emphasizing. So it’s fun to find them!
February 16, 2016
Title: Do Your ABC’s Little Brown Bear
Author: Jonathan London
Illustrator: Margie Moore
Genre: ABC Book
Theme(s): Bears, Fathers and Sons, Alphabet
Opening Line/sentence:
Papa Brown Bear and Little Brown Bear were playing in a meadow in Bear Valley.
Brief Book Summary:
Little Brown bear and his father are playing together in the meadow when Papa Brown Bear tells his son to practice his ABC’s. Throughout the rest of the book Papa and Little Brown bear do activities together that start with each letter of the alphabet. This includes throwing grass at each other to saying goodnight to each other. In the end it was a fun filled day and Little Bear reviewed the alphabet.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1:
Karen Coats (The Bulletin of the Center for Children s Books, April 2005 (Vol. 58, No. 8))
At Papa Brown Bear s suggestion, Little Brown Bear’s day of play in the meadow becomes a lesson in learning the alphabet. Not surprisingly, the little bear first finds an apple and a ball, but as the day progresses, a mix of actions and objects makes the game a tad less predictable. He and his dad have a grass fight for g, for instance, and plunge their paws and toes into an icy stream when they get to i, though the clichés return with a xylophone (oddly, the only toy in Little Brown Bear s room). The progress through the entire alphabet, with embellishments, makes for an exhausting day and a rather attenuated story, complete with convenient weather changes (one minute they are swimming, and two letters later huddled under an umbrella in a sudden downpour), so that readers-aloud will likely be in sympathy with Papa when he hurries Little Brown Bear to bed with an admonishment to Zip it! The sweet watercolor bears seem to owe their trapezoidal heads and chunky angular shapes to Rosemary Wells and their fuzzy graphite textures to Jane Dyer as they frolic their way through compositions clean enough to draw attention to the one or two objects on each page that correspond with the letter but aren’t included in the text. Though the book isn’t terribly original, the playful relationship between father and son is cozily realized, and the format will encourage those new to the alphabet to seek out their own ways to play the game.
Professional Recommendation/Review #2:
Paula Day (The Lorgnette - Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 18, No. 1))
This is a charming alphabet book showing a father helping his son go from A to Z. The illustrations are warm and inviting. There are other pictures woven into the illustrations that also start with the letter being presented in the text. Little Bear does different activities to help him remember the letters of the alphabet. This would be a great read-aloud for a dad and a young child to read together.
Response to Two Professional Reviews:
Both reviews mention the connection between Papa and Little Brown Bear and how doing the activities strengthen the story line. Also the playfulness of the book and the hints of other letter items throughout the book were brought up between both reviewers. I have to agree with the first review that the plot isn’t exactly unique but the unpredictability of the activities does keep the reader wondering what the duo will do next.
Evaluation of Literary Elements:
The illustrations in this story give a semi-realistic appearance of what the bears would be like if they were human-like, and the inclusion of different letter items, such as the ball from letter B, in other letter activities help the readers review what items Little Bear has already discovered. The setting of being in a meadow allows the story to take any turns because there is lots of room and activities to do in a meadow. Also by ending the story with little bear going to bed, the reader feels as if he or she too has just experienced a long fun-filled day and wants to settle into bed. The plot is long and immense with the various activities that the bears do together and shows how little bear is developing through experiencing all these games and learning his ABC’s.
Consideration of Instructional Application:
This book would be best suited for younger children, kindergarteners or first grade, to help learn/review their alphabet. As an activity to go along with the book the students could keep a diary of different things they have done with a family member that starts with each letter of the alphabet. The class could also make a class book of what Little Brown Bear and Papa Brown Bear can do, making their own activities up for each letter. Also, depending on class size, each student could be assigned an oversized letter cutout and draw what the bears did when learning that letter. This might serve as an early in the year activity and this book would make a good read aloud.
Author: Jonathan London
Illustrator: Margie Moore
Genre: ABC Book
Theme(s): Bears, Fathers and Sons, Alphabet
Opening Line/sentence:
Papa Brown Bear and Little Brown Bear were playing in a meadow in Bear Valley.
Brief Book Summary:
Little Brown bear and his father are playing together in the meadow when Papa Brown Bear tells his son to practice his ABC’s. Throughout the rest of the book Papa and Little Brown bear do activities together that start with each letter of the alphabet. This includes throwing grass at each other to saying goodnight to each other. In the end it was a fun filled day and Little Bear reviewed the alphabet.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1:
Karen Coats (The Bulletin of the Center for Children s Books, April 2005 (Vol. 58, No. 8))
At Papa Brown Bear s suggestion, Little Brown Bear’s day of play in the meadow becomes a lesson in learning the alphabet. Not surprisingly, the little bear first finds an apple and a ball, but as the day progresses, a mix of actions and objects makes the game a tad less predictable. He and his dad have a grass fight for g, for instance, and plunge their paws and toes into an icy stream when they get to i, though the clichés return with a xylophone (oddly, the only toy in Little Brown Bear s room). The progress through the entire alphabet, with embellishments, makes for an exhausting day and a rather attenuated story, complete with convenient weather changes (one minute they are swimming, and two letters later huddled under an umbrella in a sudden downpour), so that readers-aloud will likely be in sympathy with Papa when he hurries Little Brown Bear to bed with an admonishment to Zip it! The sweet watercolor bears seem to owe their trapezoidal heads and chunky angular shapes to Rosemary Wells and their fuzzy graphite textures to Jane Dyer as they frolic their way through compositions clean enough to draw attention to the one or two objects on each page that correspond with the letter but aren’t included in the text. Though the book isn’t terribly original, the playful relationship between father and son is cozily realized, and the format will encourage those new to the alphabet to seek out their own ways to play the game.
Professional Recommendation/Review #2:
Paula Day (The Lorgnette - Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 18, No. 1))
This is a charming alphabet book showing a father helping his son go from A to Z. The illustrations are warm and inviting. There are other pictures woven into the illustrations that also start with the letter being presented in the text. Little Bear does different activities to help him remember the letters of the alphabet. This would be a great read-aloud for a dad and a young child to read together.
Response to Two Professional Reviews:
Both reviews mention the connection between Papa and Little Brown Bear and how doing the activities strengthen the story line. Also the playfulness of the book and the hints of other letter items throughout the book were brought up between both reviewers. I have to agree with the first review that the plot isn’t exactly unique but the unpredictability of the activities does keep the reader wondering what the duo will do next.
Evaluation of Literary Elements:
The illustrations in this story give a semi-realistic appearance of what the bears would be like if they were human-like, and the inclusion of different letter items, such as the ball from letter B, in other letter activities help the readers review what items Little Bear has already discovered. The setting of being in a meadow allows the story to take any turns because there is lots of room and activities to do in a meadow. Also by ending the story with little bear going to bed, the reader feels as if he or she too has just experienced a long fun-filled day and wants to settle into bed. The plot is long and immense with the various activities that the bears do together and shows how little bear is developing through experiencing all these games and learning his ABC’s.
Consideration of Instructional Application:
This book would be best suited for younger children, kindergarteners or first grade, to help learn/review their alphabet. As an activity to go along with the book the students could keep a diary of different things they have done with a family member that starts with each letter of the alphabet. The class could also make a class book of what Little Brown Bear and Papa Brown Bear can do, making their own activities up for each letter. Also, depending on class size, each student could be assigned an oversized letter cutout and draw what the bears did when learning that letter. This might serve as an early in the year activity and this book would make a good read aloud.
March 20, 2017
Great book. Colorful and playful illustrations. Some of the pages have more than one illustration that start with the same letter it's showing. A fun and adventurous way to learn the alphabet.
May 14, 2008
Comments on the Story:
I really enjoyed the story. It was a very eventful day for brown bear. The language used is easy enough for most toddlers, however, there are cultural euphemisms and expressions in the book that might be a little advanced but which also might strike the interest of slightly older readers and listeners. I liked the author’s introduction of things like shortcut, slurping, a breeze, and cannonball. He even had a joke in the story “What kind of shoes does a bear wear?” “They don’t wear any…they go bear-footed!” The author’s use of language, wit, and cultural expressions like cannonball into the pond made the story more exciting and entertaining!
Recommended Uses for the Book:
This is not a great book for teaching recitation of ABCs to young children because there is too much text on the pages for that purpose. This book would be better used for an older child to learn many words that start with different letters of the alphabet. This is also a good book for little boys. There is grass throwing, ball hitting, jokes told, etc. The activities that little brown bear is interested might also strike more of an interest with the younger boy crowd. For a story hour, this book could be used to have children point out some of the other pictures in the drawing that start with different letters since the pictures are easily seen and there are many things to find on each page.
I really enjoyed the story. It was a very eventful day for brown bear. The language used is easy enough for most toddlers, however, there are cultural euphemisms and expressions in the book that might be a little advanced but which also might strike the interest of slightly older readers and listeners. I liked the author’s introduction of things like shortcut, slurping, a breeze, and cannonball. He even had a joke in the story “What kind of shoes does a bear wear?” “They don’t wear any…they go bear-footed!” The author’s use of language, wit, and cultural expressions like cannonball into the pond made the story more exciting and entertaining!
Recommended Uses for the Book:
This is not a great book for teaching recitation of ABCs to young children because there is too much text on the pages for that purpose. This book would be better used for an older child to learn many words that start with different letters of the alphabet. This is also a good book for little boys. There is grass throwing, ball hitting, jokes told, etc. The activities that little brown bear is interested might also strike more of an interest with the younger boy crowd. For a story hour, this book could be used to have children point out some of the other pictures in the drawing that start with different letters since the pictures are easily seen and there are many things to find on each page.
February 14, 2017
This isn't an earth-shattering ABC book, but it is cute and it made my kinders giggle once or twice.
November 23, 2016
Awards: None
Grade Level: K-2
Summary:
A fantastic story about a father and his son walking around their neighborhood. The papa bear wants his son to do his ABC's and as they walk baby bear goes through the alphabet and names things he sees and does such as apples, ball, catch, dance, eat etc. After a long day of walking and saying the alphabet baby bear "zipped" off to sleep.
Review:
What an awesome book about the ABC's. I would recommend this book to parents, especially dads to read with their child. Awesome job Jonathan London and Margie Moore.
Uses:
A great homework assignment that could be based off this book is for children to look in their neighborhood that start with each letter in the alphabet.
For writing workshop children could write about things they like to outside.
Grade Level: K-2
Summary:
A fantastic story about a father and his son walking around their neighborhood. The papa bear wants his son to do his ABC's and as they walk baby bear goes through the alphabet and names things he sees and does such as apples, ball, catch, dance, eat etc. After a long day of walking and saying the alphabet baby bear "zipped" off to sleep.
Review:
What an awesome book about the ABC's. I would recommend this book to parents, especially dads to read with their child. Awesome job Jonathan London and Margie Moore.
Uses:
A great homework assignment that could be based off this book is for children to look in their neighborhood that start with each letter in the alphabet.
For writing workshop children could write about things they like to outside.
February 28, 2011
Jonathan London, known as the author of the popular "Froggy" books, offers a refreshing ABC book in this story of Little Brown Bear's day out with Papa Brown Bear. Each page contains a written word representing the letter but within the background of the illustrations is another example for the letter--e.g. V's text word is "vroom" but Papa Brown Bear is also shown playing a violin. My audience enjoyed this title...which may work for storytime but also has a place as a more intimate repeat read for a preschooler who is learning their ABCs or enjoys books about bears or stories of a father/son variety.
July 11, 2012
So I like the idea of ABCs in a story format. Plus the illustrations were fun. I enjoyed finding the "hidden" item that matched the letter on each particular page beyond the one the story was actually talking about. This story can get long though and it doesn't help the characters are often referred to as Papa Brown Bear and Little Brown Bear. How about Papa and Baby Bear, or even give Little Brown Bear a name. Cute book though!
February 21, 2014
My five-year-old son picked out this book from the library this week.
This was the most charming book that I read tonight, so I'm probably being generous in the rating. Still, the text made sense and held my son's attention, and the illustrations were not devoid of charm and they complemented the story very well. That's pretty much all that I ask from a children's book.
Actual rating: 3.5 stars, but I round up.
This was the most charming book that I read tonight, so I'm probably being generous in the rating. Still, the text made sense and held my son's attention, and the illustrations were not devoid of charm and they complemented the story very well. That's pretty much all that I ask from a children's book.
Actual rating: 3.5 stars, but I round up.
October 9, 2011
Do Your ABCs Little Brown Bear is an effective book for children who are learning their alphabet. This book contains an adventure for Little Bear while he is learning the alphabet, which might help children to relate different objects to their way of learning their ABCs as well. I would recommend this book to parents who are trying to help their children learn their alphabet!
March 6, 2012
Papa Bear asks Little Bear to do his ABC's. Within the story, the duo spend the day looking around the outdoors and the house for objects and activities that go in ABC order. The story is well put together, with only a few far-reaching extensions to incorporate each letter of the alphabet.
PreK-K
PreK-K
August 30, 2013
This book cleverly represents the letters of the alphabet in a story of a little bear spending time with his papa. What I really liked tho were the illustrations which are beautifully done. Most of the pix include something representing the significant letter on each page without it being mentioned in the story.
June 20, 2008
Charming. An alphabet book about a father's day with his son is also a lovely story about a father - and we always need more of those in the library! (Sorry, mommies, but the field is swamped with I love my mom books).
September 17, 2014
I really love the father and son relationship that the Little Brown Bear and Papa Bear have. I noticed as the Little Brown Bear goes through his ABC's that there are objects and animals on the pages that go with the letters. I love the illustrations in this book.
Read
December 9, 2008E Lon
September 19, 2011
This book was refreshing. There were some unexpected twists!
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews