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Bear
Bear Says Thanks
What better way for Bear to say thanks and enjoy the company of his friends then over a nice big dinner! Bear decides to throw a feast. One-by-one, Bear's friends show up with different platters of delicious food to share. There's just one problem. Bear's cupboards are bare! What is he to do?
Karma Wilson's playful text and Jane Chapman's delightful illustrations bring to life this celebration of family and friendship. Young readers will delight in discovering the special gift Bear has to share and rejoice in all of the wonderful things we have to be thankful for.
Karma Wilson's playful text and Jane Chapman's delightful illustrations bring to life this celebration of family and friendship. Young readers will delight in discovering the special gift Bear has to share and rejoice in all of the wonderful things we have to be thankful for.
40 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
45 people are currently reading
849 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 315 reviews
October 8, 2017
Bear is eager to have some friends over for a party, but has nothing in his cupboards to offer. Friends come with cakes and muffins and other delectable items, for which Bear is grateful. However, he has little to offer of his own. When Bear learns that his stories are more valuable than any food, he sees just how thankful all his friends are for what he brings to their gatherings. In the end, everyone is thankful and happiness prevails. Neo has wonderful manners, most of the time. 'Thanks' is not usually something that needs to cued and he is pleasant when others are around. However, everyone needs to be reminded that they bring something special to the equation, which can only help foster better relationship.
December 19, 2020
I love Karma Wilson's bear books. The rhyme scheme is great, and the cast of characters is adorable (I especially loved the little owl in this one. Jane Chapman knows how to illustrate cute critters!) This story shows a good message about sharing and friendship--and gratitude. It's good for Thanksgiving but not specifically Thanksgiving-y. The Bear books are so charming. This one is all about Bear's friends bringing dishes to an impromptu party at Bear's den. Bear starts to feel badly that he has no food to add himself but his friends remind him that he has stories to share. I liked this -- showing that there is more than one way to contribute to a celebration, more than one way to be a good friend
November 21, 2021
Read for my toddler's bedtime. Bear wanted to invite all of his friends over for thanksgiving feast but his cub board was empty. His friends one by one showed up at his cave with foods to share. All he said was thanks until all showed up and he told them that he felt bad not having anything to share but they all said it was okay because he can tell them stories.
Read from kindle unlimited.
Read from kindle unlimited.
February 21, 2018
I just have one question: why are all the animals sentient and cohabitating without eating each other EXCEPT the fish? Sorry fish. You lose. Good day sirs.
November 21, 2019
A cozy Thanksgiving-themed picture book about a bear who wants to have friends over, but thinks he has nothing to offer them.
Thoughts:
Bear is all alone in his cave and is very, very bored. The only sound he hears is the wind and he misses his friends. He gets an idea of making dinner to share with everyone, but when he looks in the cupboards he finds they are bare. One of his friends stops by and brings a pie, but once again he realizes he has nothing to share. Then, another friend stops by his cave and brings something else to eat followed by another friend with more food and then another and another. Even though bear has no food to offer, they all pitch in and make it a real feast and are all just thankful they share this with each other.
The rhyming story is a sweet one with the word “Thanks” repeated several times making it perfect for the holidays. Due to the color of the bear and it being a cave, the major color in the picture book is brown, with dashes of color used for bear’s friends. Sometimes these books that feature the “I have nothing to offer” theme make me feel kind of sad, but I didn’t feel this way about this one, but I didn’t find it overly cheerful either. It was just sweet and leaves you with a nice feeling after you finish.
Rating: 4 stars
Thoughts:
Bear is all alone in his cave and is very, very bored. The only sound he hears is the wind and he misses his friends. He gets an idea of making dinner to share with everyone, but when he looks in the cupboards he finds they are bare. One of his friends stops by and brings a pie, but once again he realizes he has nothing to share. Then, another friend stops by his cave and brings something else to eat followed by another friend with more food and then another and another. Even though bear has no food to offer, they all pitch in and make it a real feast and are all just thankful they share this with each other.
The rhyming story is a sweet one with the word “Thanks” repeated several times making it perfect for the holidays. Due to the color of the bear and it being a cave, the major color in the picture book is brown, with dashes of color used for bear’s friends. Sometimes these books that feature the “I have nothing to offer” theme make me feel kind of sad, but I didn’t feel this way about this one, but I didn’t find it overly cheerful either. It was just sweet and leaves you with a nice feeling after you finish.
Rating: 4 stars
August 17, 2018
Bear is lonely and bored. He decides to throw a feast for his friends. The only problem is his cupboard is bare. Soon, his friends arrive bring delicious treats such as huckleberry pie, muffins, fishes, warm honey nuts and pears. Bear says "Thanks!" to the many delectable treats. But what can Bear contribute to the feast when his cupboard is bare?
This charming picture book has a delightful rhyming text and vivid illustrations. Bear soon discovers that he has a lot to be thankful for when his friends tell him what they consider the best contribution of all. This book could be used to teach manners, or used to usher in the Thanksgiving holiday. The message of friendship and what each contributes to the friendship is another message in this book.
This charming picture book has a delightful rhyming text and vivid illustrations. Bear soon discovers that he has a lot to be thankful for when his friends tell him what they consider the best contribution of all. This book could be used to teach manners, or used to usher in the Thanksgiving holiday. The message of friendship and what each contributes to the friendship is another message in this book.
Read
June 13, 2015So class, we have a few days of vacation this week! (Cheers) Why is that? (students respond) That's right, it's Thanksgiving on Thursday! I want everyone to think of what their family does on Thanksgiving, whether it's traveling to see family, having dinner with your parents, or doing something special. Who wants to share their traditions? (students share their stories) Those are all great things to do on Thanksgiving, but what is Thanksgiving about? Why do we celebrate it every year? (students respond) (Show cover) Those are all great reasons and today we will be reading "Bear Says Thanks." What do you think Bear will do based on the title and the illustration on the cover? (Students explain) Those are all good ideas. Lets read and find out!
-Prompt predictions based on the title and illustrations
-Activate background knowledge
-Ask children to make connections
I chose this book for the text set because it would be great to read to teach about Thanksgiving. I really liked this book because the students would love the animals as characters and love the illustrations.
-Prompt predictions based on the title and illustrations
-Activate background knowledge
-Ask children to make connections
I chose this book for the text set because it would be great to read to teach about Thanksgiving. I really liked this book because the students would love the animals as characters and love the illustrations.
April 4, 2023
عنوان ترجمهٔ فارسی: خرسی میگه مرسی
June 19, 2025
We have loved Karma Wilson's Bear books for years.
They were some of the first books that I reviewed here on Goodreads. Our girls are getting a little old for these stories, but thankfully they still humor me.
I like the message about being thankful in this book. It's perfect to read at Thanksgiving, but isn't specifically about the holiday.
The rhymes aren't quite as fluid and rhythmic as they are for Bear Snores On, but the illustrations are just as adorable and our girls love the repetition - they will often finish the sentences for me.
This book was mentioned in the November & December 2020: Shared Meals / Food-Based Gatherings discussion in the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.
They were some of the first books that I reviewed here on Goodreads. Our girls are getting a little old for these stories, but thankfully they still humor me.
I like the message about being thankful in this book. It's perfect to read at Thanksgiving, but isn't specifically about the holiday.
The rhymes aren't quite as fluid and rhythmic as they are for Bear Snores On, but the illustrations are just as adorable and our girls love the repetition - they will often finish the sentences for me.
This book was mentioned in the November & December 2020: Shared Meals / Food-Based Gatherings discussion in the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.
November 23, 2020
True story...the first time I read this book was out of a box of Cheerios. I felt instantly in love because all of the animals bring treats to share and Bear is sad because his cupboard is bare. But the animals insist that they love his gift of telling stories. This is just so sweet...everyone has talents to bring to the TABLE.
Read
September 30, 2024I was organizing the books at Recovery Cafe when I saw this book.
I was initially intrigued by the fact that Chick-fil-A produced it.
It is a story about how a group of animals share food with a hungry bear named Bear.
Now, if you can get past the fact that you are reading a book about the joys of gluttony from a world-renowned fast food chain (do I smell ulterior motives?), you can see an excellent universal lesson.
While Bear had nothing to offer back to the other animals food-wise, the other animals believed that the only thing Bear needed to provide was a simple 'Thank You.'
When you give, do not expect anything back. Giving itself is an honor bestowed upon the giver.
This is an excellent book to have at a place where gratitude is the main lesson that the Recovery Cafe tries to teach.
I was initially intrigued by the fact that Chick-fil-A produced it.
It is a story about how a group of animals share food with a hungry bear named Bear.
Now, if you can get past the fact that you are reading a book about the joys of gluttony from a world-renowned fast food chain (do I smell ulterior motives?), you can see an excellent universal lesson.
While Bear had nothing to offer back to the other animals food-wise, the other animals believed that the only thing Bear needed to provide was a simple 'Thank You.'
When you give, do not expect anything back. Giving itself is an honor bestowed upon the giver.
This is an excellent book to have at a place where gratitude is the main lesson that the Recovery Cafe tries to teach.
June 24, 2013
Even though this wasn't about trains, my preschoolers could still get into this one. Even my 5 yr old enjoyed the pictures and story concept. I, myself, enjoyed the illustrations of the big fluffy bear and the cute animals. And the added lesson of saying "Thanks" is always a nice addition to any children's book. A good solid level 1 reading book as well. Our family enjoyed this.
November 21, 2019
Karma Wilson's Bear books are always a hit! Her rhyming text is always fun to read and the kids can join in on the refrains. This is a wonderful addition to any Thanksgiving collection, but it never specifies the holiday, so it's a gratitude book that can be read all year long!
May 14, 2021
In this beautifully illustrated story, Bear wants to have a feast for his friends, but his cupboard is bare. Each of his friends brings food and he says "Thanks!" each time. When Bear feels sad about not having any food to share, they tell Bear that he has something other than food that he can contribute. Nice story in rhyme.
November 7, 2018
We love Karma Wilson's "Bear" books in this household. :)
May 15, 2019
Bear wants to host a get together at his place but he has nothing to share. The other animal bring items for a potluck and say they're just happy to spend tine together. A positive story of friends hanging out.
November 15, 2019
3.5 stars. My preschooler loves Bear. Sweet, seasonal bedtime read
October 11, 2020
A fun book to read at Thanksgiving to remind us all that sharing is caring and everyone has something to contribute.
May 6, 2022
I don't know why exactly I enjoying listening to books on storytel that is written for kids
But I love passing time with them
But I love passing time with them
November 20, 2024
This one was super cute for this season.
September 18, 2025
Adorable
November 18, 2021
A really sweet book about sharing, giving thanks, and appreciating the unique things we all bring to the table.
August 3, 2024
8/2/2024 - I really liked how this book showed that everyone has something special they can contribute to their friendships.
November 27, 2023
I love this Bear series, it's so cute and has just the right amount of a "message" mixed in with the sweet stories. The illustrations are lovely, too; the animals look realistic, animated yet not cartoonish. Just perfect, especially to read over Thanksgiving weekend.
November 27, 2019
I love Bear! This book is perfect for talking about thankfulness before Thanksgiving - even for my students who do not celebrate Thanksgiving. Also, plenty of rhyming and new vocabulary.
May 1, 2018
i like this book because this book talk about bear has a big dinner with his friend and he say thank you to his friends. When I read this book children ,children can learn how to share stuff with friends .when I read this book to young children ,I can ask children when people share things for us what we need to do . At least we have to be polite and say thank you
November 19, 2023
Lovely story about giving thanks for food and community when you would have gone without food.
November 25, 2017
This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!
Hello, friends! We’re getting into the Thanksgiving spirit over here at The Baby Bookworm: today, we read Bear Says Thanks by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman, a delightful and sweet tale from the pair’s beloved Bear series.
Bear wants to invite his friends over for a delicious feast to show them how much he appreciates them, but alas, his cupboard is completely bare! As he is bemoaning this, his friend Mouse shows up with a delicious pie to share, and Bear says “Thanks!” From there, more of Bear’s woodland pals show up, each bringing a delicious treat to share with the others. Bear thanks his guests kindly, but is overwhelmed – they have all been so generous to bring food, but he has nothing to offer the group in return. But Bear’s friends say no matter; Bear can provide them with stories and the pleasure of his company, which is all they require for their friendship feast.
We have yet to read a Bear book that we didn’t love, and this one was no exception. The familiar cadence of the rhyming text from previous installments is back, making it a bouncy and fun read-aloud. The story brings a few wonderful lessons about generosity, kindness, community, and the true meaning of friendship, leaving the reader with a warm heart by the final page. Chapman’s illustrations are as darling as ever, bringing personality and emotion to each character. The length is great, and JJ always adores Bear and his friends, as you can see! A fantastic read year-round, and especially during the season of togetherness, and it’s Baby Bookworm approved!
Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!
April 13, 2025
It’s hard to write a seasonal/holiday story that stands alone & apart from the series. This one does.
Bear’s cave is the home aesthetic im after. Also his hosting style, which amounts to: “I’ll have the idea for the party but you all bring the stuff”.
Bear’s cave is the home aesthetic im after. Also his hosting style, which amounts to: “I’ll have the idea for the party but you all bring the stuff”.
June 17, 2012
A story of friendship and saying "thanks". I like Wilson's Bear series and love Chapman's illustrations.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 315 reviews