The Other Day I Met a Bear

by John M. Feierabend, Julia Love Miller (Illustrations)

The other day, I met a bear, Out in the woods, A-way out there   The beloved echo song “The Other Day I Met a Bear” is beautifully rendered in this illustrated picture book. A favorite camping song for generations, this whimsical work is paired with a history and notation of the song as well as a link to a free download of two audio versions of the song—one with singing and an instrumental. Serving as a preservation of the heritage of great folk music, this book is true treasure for the whole family to enjoy time and again.

Genres: Animals, Picture Books, Childrens, Music

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2014

About the author

John M. Feierabend is professor and chair of the music education division at the Hartt School of the University of Hartford in Connecticut.

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sing-song story about a fox encountering a bear. Neither are sure why the other's reputation does not precede them. The bear goes through the motions and the fox rushes off, hoping that it is right for all involved. Neo liked the story and wanted the song version sung to him as he rocked back and forth. I almost expected him to pull out a lighter and sway.

[Mama Bibliosoph · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this playful adaptation of "The Other Day I Met A Bear," a traditional American camp song, the point of view character is a fox. Whether the fox and the bear are having a friendly game of chase or if the bear is hungry for fox is unclear, but the chase is a lot of fun.

"The Other Day I Met A Bear" is an echo song. Echo songs challenge kids to sing independently, mimicking rhythm and pitch. The exact same line is sung back by the child. For example:

The other day, (The other day!)
I met a bear. (I met a bear!)
Out in the woods, (Out in the woods!)
away out there. (away out there!)

My son Harry loves this book. It appeals to his echolalia and he loves the animals' chase. I love how the echo song format promotes interaction between us. There is also something extremely pleasant about the simple black and white line art. My son Luke isn't up for participating, but he enjoys looking at the action on the pages.

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I review books for children from the perspective of a parent of kids with autism. The review above is part of a longer post on books about singalong books: https://www.lineupthebooks.com/40-sin...

[Hailey Coffey · Rating 5 out of 5]

1. Awards the book has received (if any)
N/a

2. Appropriate grade level(s)
Pre-K to kindergarten

3. Original summary (be succinct -- no more than 3 sentences)
This song follows a fox who meets a bear who then runs away and ebarks on a music filled journey through the forest.

4. Original review (be succinct -- no more than 3 sentences)
This song is perfect for pre schoolers and kindergartens to sing along to and process the sequencing of events through the song's use of repetition. There are many songs and song books that are old and overdone, but this is one I have actually never heard and enjoyed learning!

5. 1-2 possible in-class uses (these can be as specific or general as you’d like — try to think through what we’ve talked about so far, what you’ve observed in your FW classrooms, and anything else you come up with)
Song to show sequencing of events in a story, teacher can show the illustrations and/or come up with hand/ body motions that go with each event to reinforce this lesson.

[Ember Moto · Rating 3 out of 5]

The artwork is very nice and not a style I see a lot. The song does mention a gun so some parents might want to read this first before giving it to there little ones. I also liked the page at the end talking about the history of the song.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't say I enjoyed reading this, because instead I enjoyed singing each page....Made me So Happy...

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great illustrations!