Taking Care of Sister Bear

by Ursel Scheffler

Little Bear has a new sister. Now he's not the baby anymore. There's no room on Mama Bear's lap when she's holding Sister Bear. And Sister Bear's clumsy paws knock over Little Bear's toys. A baby sister is really no fun at all!

Little Bear discovers the pains and the pleasures of being an older sibling in this funny, warmhearted look at the tough job of adjusting to a new baby in the family.

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Ursel Scheffler wurde in Nürnberg geboren, machte ihren Magister (Philologie) an der Uni München, ist verheiratet und hat drei, mittlerweile erwachsene Kinder. Seit 30 Jahren lebt sie in Hamburg. Dort hat sie auch die Bekanntschaft mit Ätze, dem Tintenmonster gemacht, dessen haarsträubende Abenteuer sie in vielen Bänden erzählt. Ätze begegnete ihr auf einem Klassenfest ihrer Kinder in einem dunklen Schulhausflur. Selbst in China lehrt Ätze inzwischen Kinder das Gruseln. Inzwischen gibt es von Ursel Scheffler fast 80 Kinderbücher. Die Anregungen dazu, so sagt sie, entnimmt sie ihrer Phantasie und ihrer Umwelt etwa zu gleichen Teilen. Sie schreibt für Kinder zwischen fünf und zwölf Jahren, am liebsten fröhliche, oft auch parodistische Bücher.

Reviews

[Hypatia's Dream · Rating 5 out of 5]

He leído este cuento a mi hijo, en ocasiones tienden a pelear mucho con su hermano menor, creo que en su forma de comprender las cosas el leer este tipo de historias les hace comprender también muchas cosas, me fascinaron las ilustraciones y la lección de la obra es muy noble.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our family also has a new little sister who is constantly knocking things over and taking some of mom and dad's attention. This helped draw some parallels and open up conversations for us.

[Margaret Welwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s a heightened appreciation in the love we feel for those we have almost lost. This powerful truth is brought home with great gentleness in Taking Care of Sister Bear.

New Sister Bear takes Little Bear’s place on Mama’s lap, and she destroys his fine tower of branches and bark. To make matters worse, he has to babysit while his parents go off to pick berries and mushrooms.

And that’s when Little Bear and his friend Willy concoct a win-win plan: Little Bear agrees to trade his pesky sister for a pail of fish.

Nothing could possibly go wrong—until Little Sister wanders off while the boys are fishing. Willy’s afraid of the dark, and soon leaves Little Bear alone to search in the deepening shadows.

Then there’s a truly HEA ending. Little Bear realizes that “it feels terrible when someone you love is missing,” Sister Bear is found, and the deal with Willy is forgotten.

The normally well-behaved kindergartners at my grandson’s after school care were especially attentive during this sweet, comforting story. Ulises Wensell’s beautiful illustrations capture Sister’s cuteness, and even the dark woods glow with soft colors.

[Kristina Silverbears · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little bear has trouble adjusting to no longer being a baby, though he does appreciate some of the benefits of being a little older. Trouble ensues when mommy and daddy bear leave little bear alone with sister bear. But in the end little bear realizes that he loves his baby sister. Clearly this book can be a tool to encourage older siblings to be kind to their new siblings. It is beautifully illustrated and a good bedtime book.