Bears

by Ruth Krauss, Maurice Sendak (Illustrator)

With just 27 words, the inimitable Ruth Krauss created a charming little universe. Now Maurice Sendak has turned her bears into a troupe of players in a slapstick comedy starring a familiar boy in a wolf suit.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Humor, Classics, Fiction, Storytime

24 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1948

About the author

Ruth Ida Krauss was an American writer of children's books, including The Carrot Seed, and of theatrical poems for adult readers.

Reviews

[Lorellie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this rather odd and not in the enchanting sort of way. Tot didn't get terribly excited about it either. I bought it from the library book sale rack, based entirely on the cute cover. I may leave it in one of the local little free libraries for others to try.

[Jeremy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've written better books singing nonsense in the shower. The artwork by Sendak is the only redeeming feature.

The inside jacket promises that the "inimitable" Ruth Krauss creates a "charming little universe" in just 27 words. Here is the story in its entirety:

Bears bears bears! On the stairs. Under chairs. Washing hairs. Giving stares. Collecting fares. Stepping in squares. Millionaires. Bears bears bears bears bears. Everywheres.

The end

[Eli Poteet · Rating 4 out of 5]

artistically i find the mash up of bear and environment very interesting in this old scholastic paperback. the ink is bold, the outlines subjective and i like how the cover doesnt reallt correlate.

[Chance Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has lovely illustrations by Maurice Sendak, but everything else leaves a bit to be desired.

[Dianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

My baby quite enjoyed this book; it was a bit too young for my three-year-old. The text is very short, which makes it great for young, page-turning children. Fans of Where the Wild Things Are will want to check out the edition illustrated by Maurice Sendak; they will probably recognize their pal Max.

[Aiden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulously fun, cute cute cute illustrations! Everything about this is playful, silly, and adorable. Some other reviewers mentioned a bear in a noose, which is the newer edition illustrated by Maurice Sendak. I'm so glad I stumbled on this copy with illustrations by Phyllis Rowand's, they are so perfect for this playful book.

[Shannonmde]

The bear in the noose on the title page is throwing me off.. I wish I knew why a noose was considered appropriate.
Also curious about the Max precursor from Where the Wild things are. How long was Max floating around. There's a 16 year difference in publishing date.

[Mario Flores · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main character in this book looks just like Max from: Where the Wild Things are. In fact, I would not be surprised if it was Max, because Maurice Sendak (the Illustrator) has done similar things with books like Chicken Soup & Rice, and One was Johnny. I enjoyed seeing Max in the end finally embracing the one thing that he did not have all around him: his dog! This story would be great to share with kids who need to learn not to take things for granted and to embrace things that are right beneath their very noses, rather than embrace other things that they probably have to much of already. This was another gem illustrated by Maurice Sendak that I would definitely want to have in my library at school.

[Mathew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Turning back to a poem written by Krauss in 1948, Sendak injects the 27 word poem with the same revelry and drama that lived in the pages of his Wild Things books.

Jealous of all the attention Max is giving his teddy, an older looking Max sees his hound chase off with it. So begins a pursuit through a range of scenes with rather large, rounded bears who fill up the stage.

The cycle ends when Max succumbs to his hound's wily ways and allows his dog to sleep with him. Sandak's thick line drawings and bears are a delight.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maurice Sendak, I'm thrilled to see your illustration on the cover of this book. It grabs me by the eyeballs, as usual for your work.

And Ruth Krauss, one of my favorite authors of children's picture books. This time, she shows what she could accomplish in just 27 words.

By Word 16, LOL. Such a noisy-and-unexpected burst of laughter, it startled even me. (Although I've already been hearing myself laugh out loud for more than 70 years.)

FIVE STARS, in honor of the literary and child-savvy, child-nourishing and spiritual, excellence of this magnificent picture book.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I'm glad I only paid less than a dollar of this one. Maurice Sendak's illustrations of Max from Where the Wild Things Are drew me in, but beyond that there really isn't anything special about this book! Perhaps a little creativity in rhyming words, but I was bored reading it. I can only imagine kids would be too...

[Juushika · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got more emotional about this edition existing--Sendak redrawing art for Krauss's book after her death--than I did about the book itself, because Sendak's broad, messy, slightly unsettling crayon work fails to appeal and overwhelms the sparse text. As best I can tell (from images online), I prefer Rowand's original illustrations, which are less ambitious and more twee but also read as teddy bears, and allow the text room to read as playful in its own right.

[Melissa the Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was strange and weird and I really enjoyed it. The play on words was fun, and I liked the dream-like quality of the whole storyline (and the story-within-the-story of the dog stealing the teddy bear). The bear being hanged by the dog on the title page makes sense in the context of the book, but obviously is disturbing and certainly something I would skip over if reading it to my own child.

[Amy Layton · Rating 4 out of 5]

You gotta immediately fall in love with Sendak’s style especially with that Not-Max on the cover. What a cute, rhyming book that’s filled with all things bears. Definitely a fun book to read to your two or three year old as they’re going to sleep.

Review cross-listed here!

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, I think we should be a little worried that the boy from “Where the Wild Things Are” is hanging his bears, but other than that, this is a simple story. The story is 5 decades older than this version with Sendak’s illustrations, and I see why he chose to do them. The illustrations are wonderful, and take the reader back to the world of Wild things.

[Stacy Renee (LazyDayLit) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one is a bit outdated.
The text is very minimal (mostly just 'bears' and words that rhyme with it) which would be great for little readers BUT the text is in handwritten cursive.
The illustrations are familiar (Max!) but they aren't the best quality and are nowhere near as neat and precise as in Where the Wild Things Are.

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two words per page. Mostly in cursive - which might be hard for beginning readers. I didn't find the book to be very engaging, but others might have a different experience.

Talking points - Which of the bears would you want to be and why?

[December · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sendak's art drives the picture book. It is delightful to see how full of life his drawings were, and seeing "Max" outside of Where the Wild Things Are is a treat. Ruth Krauss cleverly writes with such limited vocabulary, which makes this read ideal for younger readers.

[Kest Schwartzman · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I guess this usedto be illustrated by someone else, but then in 2005 Sendak came along and populated it with a crayon-sketch version of Max(of where the wild things are), his dog, and his teddy bear involved in a complicated love triangle?

I'm in.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

The library system where I work will be having a Maurice Sendak exhibit in February. So, we've been getting new copies of a lot of his books. I had never seen this particular little book. I love the illustrations and it's a short and sweet easy read for the child in all of us.

[Brandy Burbach · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the illustrations of this book and young toddlers would love them as well. The book is fun to read to a child because of the rhymes and will help them better understand how to rhyme. Teaching your kid rhyming is fun because they just start doing it with any word they are given.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

The illustrations are classic Sendak and the rhymes make it a very fun book – watching the dogs face is also fun!

[Shiloah · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Lamby (5) came right up and identified “Max” right away. Cute, but simple story.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute! This newer version has new illustrations, this tome by Maurice Sendak.

[Taylor Kundel-Gower · Rating 1 out of 5]

I like weird and I LOVE Maurice Sendak, but this did not feel good weird to me.

[Melissa Namba · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful companion book to Where the Wild Things Are. Max is in this book, although unnamed. My Niece will ADORE this book.

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story (?) itself was nothing , but the illustrations were by Maurice Sendak, which is worth a look.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Silly fun with rhymes.

[Altivo Overo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This picture book features Sendak's inimitable and witty art but very few words. As a lifetime teddy bear fancier, I should have discovered it sooner.

[Bloom · Rating 3 out of 5]

m'han megaflipat les il•lustracions. el text, l'he llegit rapid i no l'he acabat d'entendre...