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We're Going on a Bear Hunt
La Chasse à l'ours
Qui a déjà été à une chasse à l'ours ? Aujourd'hui, c'est une famille de quatre enfants avec leur père qui part à l'aventure. Ils parcourent d'abord une prairie, "Froufrou friselis !", puis franchissent une rivière, "Splash ! Sploush !", traversent une forêt "trébuche bronche !" Et finalement, arrivent sur une grotte sombre et étroite "Tiptap ! Tiptap !". Qui sait ? L'ours est peut-être là...
Cette histoire ressemble à une chanson avec son refrain et ses mots qui résonnent. Un conte à lire et relire à haute voix pour faire rire les tout-petits en joignant le geste à la parole. --Nathalie Christoux
36 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
About the author
Michael Rosen
587 books555 followersMichael Rosen, a recent British Children’s Laureate, has written many acclaimed books for children, including WE'RE GOING ON A BEAR HUNT, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury, and I’M NUMBER ONE and THIS IS OUR HOUSE, both illustrated by Bob Graham. Michael Rosen lives in London.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,103 reviews
January 17, 2026
It is a joy and a privilege to share books with children too young to read themselves. The best books become a shared liturgy, often aided by rhyme and rhythm: the adult pauses and the child fills in the next words, until the child can 'read' the whole thing.
A special few prompt real life adventures, echoing the story. We went on many 'bear hunts' in the local woods and fields when my kid was tiny, before they quickly progressed to longer, more complex stories.
“We're going on a bear hunt.
We're going to catch a big one.
What a beautiful day!
We're not scared.”
Image: Navigating thick, oozy mud
They encounter obstacles (long wavy grass, a deep cold river, thick oozy mud, a big dark forest and a swirling whirling snowstorm), and each time:
“We can't go over it.
We can't go under it.
Oh no!
We've got to go through it!”
There are plenty of books my kid and I shared over the years that I know they still remember fondly, but I was surprised to learn a few weeks ago that this very early book is among them. They asked if they could pass 'their' copy on to the toddler child of a close friend: a bright and delightful child they often babysit. Of course, the answer was 'yes' (but I was touched that they asked).
Image: Double-page spread as they run away from the bear's cave via all the original obstacles
I prefer the simplicity Helen Oxenbury's original illustrations, included here.
PS Michael Rosen is a national treasure for many reasons. This book is just one of them.
A special few prompt real life adventures, echoing the story. We went on many 'bear hunts' in the local woods and fields when my kid was tiny, before they quickly progressed to longer, more complex stories.
“We're going on a bear hunt.
We're going to catch a big one.
What a beautiful day!
We're not scared.”
Image: Navigating thick, oozy mud
They encounter obstacles (long wavy grass, a deep cold river, thick oozy mud, a big dark forest and a swirling whirling snowstorm), and each time:
“We can't go over it.
We can't go under it.
Oh no!
We've got to go through it!”
There are plenty of books my kid and I shared over the years that I know they still remember fondly, but I was surprised to learn a few weeks ago that this very early book is among them. They asked if they could pass 'their' copy on to the toddler child of a close friend: a bright and delightful child they often babysit. Of course, the answer was 'yes' (but I was touched that they asked).
Image: Double-page spread as they run away from the bear's cave via all the original obstacles
I prefer the simplicity Helen Oxenbury's original illustrations, included here.
PS Michael Rosen is a national treasure for many reasons. This book is just one of them.
May 9, 2013
A Scathing Review of We're Going on a Bear Hunt, aka "The Children's Guide to Passive Suicide"
Before we go any further, a little context:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWpzxz...
There are plenty of children's books about self destructive impulses. In The Cat in the Hat, the children are seduced into destroying their entire house, which they know full well will result in mother's unbridled scorn. Franklin the Turtle is always doing stupid shit and then whining about it when he gets caught. I don't have a big problem with those books. They make sense to me because they follow three core principles: it's ok to depict kids doing dumb shit, because their mistakes are generally inadvertent. The mistakes characters make should teach children about human folly and the lessons we can glean from the err of our ways. Finally, rarely, if ever, are the parents depicted as condoning the child's self-destruction.
Not so with this piece of shit. The parents lead their children gently by the hand right to the threshold of death's door. They take them to a bear's cave as he is, presumably, in the midst of hibernation, when bears are at their most pissed off and hungry. There are only two options that come to mind when I try to discern author intention here: this book is either a treatise for parents "tactfully" trying to get rid of their kids, or the first in a failed series of books, the overarching theme of which is "let's do stupid shit!"
Yeah, they're going on a bear hunt, just like this zebra is going on a "lion hunt"
Then there's the artwork. The artwork is impressionistic, evocative of my youth, particularly the memories I have of using the excrement in my diapers to paint on my bedroom walls. Much like the drawings in this book, I couldn't distinguish between the characters in my own imagery either. Only two things could be said of it with absolution. It stunk, and you can't bleach the images away once they've been burned into your memory.
Aww. How cute. She's going on an alien hunt. What a beautiful day.
Then of course there's the suspension of disbelief. Our characters traipse across the four seasons and every environmental variation at every altitude possible, meet a bear, and then react in the most inappropriate manner possible. They've come equipped with absolutely nothing but ignorance and stupidity. They cross rivers with potentially dangerous undercurrents. They walk through snow in summer clothes. This book is a treatise on everything you should not do while hiking. And for all the reasons mentioned above, by the time I got to the end of the book, I f*cking wanted the bear to eat the characters.
Except the baby. That'd just be cruel.
Before we go any further, a little context:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWpzxz...
There are plenty of children's books about self destructive impulses. In The Cat in the Hat, the children are seduced into destroying their entire house, which they know full well will result in mother's unbridled scorn. Franklin the Turtle is always doing stupid shit and then whining about it when he gets caught. I don't have a big problem with those books. They make sense to me because they follow three core principles: it's ok to depict kids doing dumb shit, because their mistakes are generally inadvertent. The mistakes characters make should teach children about human folly and the lessons we can glean from the err of our ways. Finally, rarely, if ever, are the parents depicted as condoning the child's self-destruction.
Not so with this piece of shit. The parents lead their children gently by the hand right to the threshold of death's door. They take them to a bear's cave as he is, presumably, in the midst of hibernation, when bears are at their most pissed off and hungry. There are only two options that come to mind when I try to discern author intention here: this book is either a treatise for parents "tactfully" trying to get rid of their kids, or the first in a failed series of books, the overarching theme of which is "let's do stupid shit!"
Yeah, they're going on a bear hunt, just like this zebra is going on a "lion hunt"
Then there's the artwork. The artwork is impressionistic, evocative of my youth, particularly the memories I have of using the excrement in my diapers to paint on my bedroom walls. Much like the drawings in this book, I couldn't distinguish between the characters in my own imagery either. Only two things could be said of it with absolution. It stunk, and you can't bleach the images away once they've been burned into your memory.
Aww. How cute. She's going on an alien hunt. What a beautiful day.
Then of course there's the suspension of disbelief. Our characters traipse across the four seasons and every environmental variation at every altitude possible, meet a bear, and then react in the most inappropriate manner possible. They've come equipped with absolutely nothing but ignorance and stupidity. They cross rivers with potentially dangerous undercurrents. They walk through snow in summer clothes. This book is a treatise on everything you should not do while hiking. And for all the reasons mentioned above, by the time I got to the end of the book, I f*cking wanted the bear to eat the characters.
Except the baby. That'd just be cruel.
April 15, 2019
"We're going on a bear hunt.
We're going to catch a big one.
What a beautiful day!
We're not scared."
Bear Hunt, beautifully illustrated by Helen Oxenbury, is the British children's book author Rosen's most popular book, this Vietnamese edition one of the (more than, now?) fifteen dual language ones.
A family of five (with a dog) embarks on a bear hunt, (without weapons). At first you can see this is just a family outing, it's all in fun, it's about spending a day in nature pretending they are going on a bear hunt, and Dad is all smiles, but as we proceed from the sea though the meadow, across a river and into the dark woods, Dad is more serious, that's a kind of subtle key.
And then there's a blinding snowstorm they just have to get through and it appears somewhat like an allegory of a life together, from joys through challenges, if not quite (yet) sorrows (See Michael Rosen's Sad Book for that), and then they actually proceed into a dark cave to find a sleeping bear?! What can they do? Obviously they must run home, back (to review together, children, what we have read) through every landscape we have been through to get there, and safe in bed--lock the door!--and commit to never doing anything so foolish again! But I would go with them, again and again! Lovely.
We're going to catch a big one.
What a beautiful day!
We're not scared."
Bear Hunt, beautifully illustrated by Helen Oxenbury, is the British children's book author Rosen's most popular book, this Vietnamese edition one of the (more than, now?) fifteen dual language ones.
A family of five (with a dog) embarks on a bear hunt, (without weapons). At first you can see this is just a family outing, it's all in fun, it's about spending a day in nature pretending they are going on a bear hunt, and Dad is all smiles, but as we proceed from the sea though the meadow, across a river and into the dark woods, Dad is more serious, that's a kind of subtle key.
And then there's a blinding snowstorm they just have to get through and it appears somewhat like an allegory of a life together, from joys through challenges, if not quite (yet) sorrows (See Michael Rosen's Sad Book for that), and then they actually proceed into a dark cave to find a sleeping bear?! What can they do? Obviously they must run home, back (to review together, children, what we have read) through every landscape we have been through to get there, and safe in bed--lock the door!--and commit to never doing anything so foolish again! But I would go with them, again and again! Lovely.
March 28, 2021
We got this from the library a few times when mine were small. It was a nice enough story, the children I have read this too weren’t afraid of bears so couldn’t quite get into the full spirit of the story.
When we got a dog we started picking up poos in the garden and started joking about this book, nobody wanted to do it so we turned it into a game, points based on how many you could find, ‘We’re all going on a poo-hunt, we’re not scared, sorry Michael. It popped into my head this morning whilst I was out with the spade.
When we got a dog we started picking up poos in the garden and started joking about this book, nobody wanted to do it so we turned it into a game, points based on how many you could find, ‘We’re all going on a poo-hunt, we’re not scared, sorry Michael. It popped into my head this morning whilst I was out with the spade.
June 17, 2018
In this repetitive story, the reader is taken along on a family’s hunt for a bear. Walking through the grass, traversing a river, and pushing through a snowstorm are only a few of the obstacles they must overcome (each with their own sounds) in order to make it to the bear’s cave. Once they reach the cave and come eye to eye with this bear.... they quickly change their minds and rush back through all the obstacles to the safety of being under the covers. Quite the tale and Neo enjoyed all the odd sounds as the family made their way through the book. He did find it funny that they were determined to find a bear but ran off when they completed their task.
September 20, 2016
This is a perfect mix of rhyme and repetition, with a good measure of suspense thrown in.
Even better is the ease with which this can be read and performed; you can walk around and have fun with it, and this is exactly what we need in my household. I used this book as part of my storytime assessment at TAFE. Throw on a hat and a pair of binoculars and we were off! It's a great book to engage with youngsters and hopefully start off with a life long learning of books. Reading is meant to be fun and this is a perfect example! Go for it if you've got some youngsters nearby.
Even better is the ease with which this can be read and performed; you can walk around and have fun with it, and this is exactly what we need in my household. I used this book as part of my storytime assessment at TAFE. Throw on a hat and a pair of binoculars and we were off! It's a great book to engage with youngsters and hopefully start off with a life long learning of books. Reading is meant to be fun and this is a perfect example! Go for it if you've got some youngsters nearby.
September 17, 2014
Tips on sharing this as a read-aloud with a group...
I begin my story times with this chant:
Hello everybody let’s clap our hands, clap our hands, clap our hands.
Hello everybody, let’s clap our hands, clap our hands today.
… (begin with clapping hands, slap knees, --as many actions as needed to create energy and get everyone together— end today with “fasten our seatbelts” & “start the engine” & “say, “Are we there yet?”.
• Begin by saying, “Do you know where we drove?” Open to the first double-page spread which depicts the beach.
• Ask, “What shall we do here?” After a few responses turn to the title page and run your finger under the title. Invite them to go on a Bear Hunt.
• Whenever the text says “We can’t go over it”, etc. ask instead, “Can we go over it?” and shake your head while everyone says “no!”, etc. This involves the group and pulls them into the drama.
• When you get to the end where it says “one shiny wet nose” touch your nose without saying “nose” and wait ‘til the group says “nose”. Do the same for the ears and eyes.
• When the story is finished ask, how else can we go on vacation?
I begin my story times with this chant:
Hello everybody let’s clap our hands, clap our hands, clap our hands.
Hello everybody, let’s clap our hands, clap our hands today.
… (begin with clapping hands, slap knees, --as many actions as needed to create energy and get everyone together— end today with “fasten our seatbelts” & “start the engine” & “say, “Are we there yet?”.
• Begin by saying, “Do you know where we drove?” Open to the first double-page spread which depicts the beach.
• Ask, “What shall we do here?” After a few responses turn to the title page and run your finger under the title. Invite them to go on a Bear Hunt.
• Whenever the text says “We can’t go over it”, etc. ask instead, “Can we go over it?” and shake your head while everyone says “no!”, etc. This involves the group and pulls them into the drama.
• When you get to the end where it says “one shiny wet nose” touch your nose without saying “nose” and wait ‘til the group says “nose”. Do the same for the ears and eyes.
• When the story is finished ask, how else can we go on vacation?
August 10, 2023
I don't know what I'd think of this now, if I were reading it for the first time. But my kids and I sure did love it when they were young and younger. So fun to read aloud, with all the drama. I certainly never got tired of it over several dozens of reads.
..........
Just read Bear's Day Out which, as I said there, is not nearly so wonderful... but it did help me remember details of this, and more of why I love it. This is the brilliant book that belongs in every child's personal collection. Oh that breathless run back home and the poignant denouement. Read this out loud even if you don't have a child. Note how fun it is to read the trip out casually, adventurously... and then the trip back fast, faster, until "under the covers" &etc.
---
Again. This time I wanted to make sure my youngest, age 27 remembered it. He says "Yes. Great book. [Don't return it yet] I want to read it again."
..........
Just read Bear's Day Out which, as I said there, is not nearly so wonderful... but it did help me remember details of this, and more of why I love it. This is the brilliant book that belongs in every child's personal collection. Oh that breathless run back home and the poignant denouement. Read this out loud even if you don't have a child. Note how fun it is to read the trip out casually, adventurously... and then the trip back fast, faster, until "under the covers" &etc.
---
Again. This time I wanted to make sure my youngest, age 27 remembered it. He says "Yes. Great book. [Don't return it yet] I want to read it again."
January 17, 2018
I know this book off by heart due to the amount of times I’ve read it to the children at the pre-school I work at...I wanted to rate it🤷🏻♀️😂
March 12, 2019
My daughter wanted me to sing this book to her and we made quite a song out of it. I liked how the obstacles were illustrated in black and white, with the following page in beautiful colours. It made the contrast even more impactful. I also used the story to teach the little one about not thinking through one’s decisions; obviously going on a bear hunt without any thought to what one would finally do when one indeed encounters one, is quite silly and reckless. A fable and a song in one book!
November 26, 2024
Found one I will happily give 5 stars. What a relief!
5/5 for relatability. There’s so much stumbling and tripping and squelching and howling through forests and mud and snow storms which the characters would prefer to go over or under or around but alas! “oh no! we have to go through it!”
5/5 for the illustration of the little dude with the stick ready to club down an entire forest.
5/5 for appropriate length. At 17 pages this book will be over before you’ve had time to peg all of your frustrations to its pages.
5/5 for relatability. There’s so much stumbling and tripping and squelching and howling through forests and mud and snow storms which the characters would prefer to go over or under or around but alas! “oh no! we have to go through it!”
5/5 for the illustration of the little dude with the stick ready to club down an entire forest.
5/5 for appropriate length. At 17 pages this book will be over before you’ve had time to peg all of your frustrations to its pages.
June 8, 2018
For fun .
February 3, 2022
But why are we hunting for the bear? Does it have money? Intentions are unclear
But the one year old I was reading to loved it.
But the one year old I was reading to loved it.
March 8, 2023
Loved seeing this book told by the writer on Youtube. Great funny little story, I enjoyed it very much!
July 14, 2020
Echt maximaal kak dat vader met zijn brevet van onvermogen zijn gezin meeneemt op berenjacht en de ene onverantwoorde hindernis na de andere neemt (wat is dit, As I lay dying voor kinderen?) en er dan achterkomt dat een beer bezoeken helemaal geen goed idee was en de hele trip achterwaarts herhaalt en het boek onder het mom van Happy End eindigt met als laatste plaatje een sippe beer die voor precies niets uit zijn nest gestoord werd en nu dat takke-end terug moet.
Twee sterren want mijn zoon vindt het helemaal mooi.
Twee sterren want mijn zoon vindt het helemaal mooi.
August 29, 2011
‘We're going on a bear hunt.
We're going to catch a big one.
What a beautiful day!
We're not scared.’
A superb read-out-loud book about a family who decide to embark on a venture to find a bear. In the process they encounter and must go through many different surroundings like long wavy grass, a deep cold river, thick oozy mud and many more.
Michael Rosen skilfully repeats some phrases and the use of onomatopoeia as the family experience each surrounding (‘splash splosh’, ‘squelch squerch’). This not only makes it appealing for young listeners, but interactive too, as it encourages them to join in.
After undergoing each adventure, the family at last end up in ‘gloomy cave’ where they come face to face with none other than the bear himself! Quick! They must rapidly go back through each setting, creating an element of excitement and rush. If reading this book out loud with a class, the teacher can pause here and ask children to recall the adventures the characters went through in the correct order from the most recent.
Another fascinating aspect of the book is its unique and unusual use of illustrations which fluctuate between black and white and colour. Interestingly, the pages with the actual adventures taking place are in colour, bringing the adventures and the onomatopoeia of the action words to life. A great book for children to join in as a whole class during ‘story time’ which can then be used to explore different settings later on.
We're going to catch a big one.
What a beautiful day!
We're not scared.’
A superb read-out-loud book about a family who decide to embark on a venture to find a bear. In the process they encounter and must go through many different surroundings like long wavy grass, a deep cold river, thick oozy mud and many more.
Michael Rosen skilfully repeats some phrases and the use of onomatopoeia as the family experience each surrounding (‘splash splosh’, ‘squelch squerch’). This not only makes it appealing for young listeners, but interactive too, as it encourages them to join in.
After undergoing each adventure, the family at last end up in ‘gloomy cave’ where they come face to face with none other than the bear himself! Quick! They must rapidly go back through each setting, creating an element of excitement and rush. If reading this book out loud with a class, the teacher can pause here and ask children to recall the adventures the characters went through in the correct order from the most recent.
Another fascinating aspect of the book is its unique and unusual use of illustrations which fluctuate between black and white and colour. Interestingly, the pages with the actual adventures taking place are in colour, bringing the adventures and the onomatopoeia of the action words to life. A great book for children to join in as a whole class during ‘story time’ which can then be used to explore different settings later on.
Read
July 9, 2024Ignore this plz, the book I just finished isn’t on good reads but I wanted a book to put as ‘read’ to go towards my reading goal & this is the first thing I thought of 🙈🥹😅
*Biking the B Road: and other pursuits*
*Biking the B Road: and other pursuits*
March 5, 2020
This is a fun and exciting book that is just a little bit scary for young readers but also reassuring. The ending is open-ended and can lead to many wonderful discussions about the bear and its behavior. The expressions and body language of the family and their pet dog are nicely done, with detail and feeling. The text flows and children readily participate in the story.
February 14, 2022
they couldn’t go over it, they couldn’t go under it, so instead they went through it. wise words. go through my problems? nah, i binge reading around them.
November 19, 2023
A simple book! But full of sweet memories of going on 'bear hunts' with my mother.
March 24, 2014
I remembered this book from when my daughter was young. In fact my son quoted it back to me recently, so obviously it struck a chord in his memory too. This book is currently celebrating its 25th anniversary. For a book to be around for 25 years it has to have a lot going for it. For this reader the attraction is the catchy rhyme and the repetition of we’re not scared as well as repetition of the other repeated phrases about not being able to go over it or under it but have to go through it.
So the family encounters various obstacles in their way which they have to go through on their bear hunt, including long wavy grass, a deep cold river, thick oozy mud, and so on. The rhythm and rhyme are highly effective. I particularly liked the swirling whirling snowstorm. The result when the family finds the bear is as you would expect. They hurriedly run back home. I don’t feel I am giving away the plot here because I am sure most people are familiar with this book. It’s been a staple in childhoods for a lot of years.
I expected to love this book as it brought back memories and I still love the text. The illustrations left no lasting impression on me from years ago. That may well be because I am a word person and not a visual person. Sadly to me the illustrations didn’t hold up well after 25 years. bear hunt
For me it is the portrayal of the human characters that were the let down. I realise others may not agree with me on this but I found the illustrations too old fashioned. The one exception is the last page showing the dejection of the bear. That is a beauty.
So the family encounters various obstacles in their way which they have to go through on their bear hunt, including long wavy grass, a deep cold river, thick oozy mud, and so on. The rhythm and rhyme are highly effective. I particularly liked the swirling whirling snowstorm. The result when the family finds the bear is as you would expect. They hurriedly run back home. I don’t feel I am giving away the plot here because I am sure most people are familiar with this book. It’s been a staple in childhoods for a lot of years.
I expected to love this book as it brought back memories and I still love the text. The illustrations left no lasting impression on me from years ago. That may well be because I am a word person and not a visual person. Sadly to me the illustrations didn’t hold up well after 25 years. bear hunt
For me it is the portrayal of the human characters that were the let down. I realise others may not agree with me on this but I found the illustrations too old fashioned. The one exception is the last page showing the dejection of the bear. That is a beauty.
January 25, 2012
A simplistic story that follows a family on a journey detailing what they see and come across. The story is written in a repetitive pattern which encourages children to join in whilst being read to as they quickly pick up the pattern. Putting actions to the words made the story very interactive whilst also acting as a behaviour management strategy keeping the children focused and listening.
I read this book to my Reception class the day before we went on a school trip to the 'Build a Bear Factory'. It linked in with work they had done that week about bears and was a perfect introduction to the idea of 'going on a journey'. The school trip was to be their first as a class and reading this book to them was a good starter activity before we discussed the next day's school trip and what the children would be doing.
I followed up the reading of this book with the class the following week when they were asked to act out in small groups what they could remember from the story. The fact that I had introduced actions to represent what the family in the story saw on their journey meant the children were able to confidently recall a lot of the story and really enjoyed acting it out.
A very good interactive read for children of 3 years and older. A good choice for a basis in Drama activities for children in Key Stage One.
I read this book to my Reception class the day before we went on a school trip to the 'Build a Bear Factory'. It linked in with work they had done that week about bears and was a perfect introduction to the idea of 'going on a journey'. The school trip was to be their first as a class and reading this book to them was a good starter activity before we discussed the next day's school trip and what the children would be doing.
I followed up the reading of this book with the class the following week when they were asked to act out in small groups what they could remember from the story. The fact that I had introduced actions to represent what the family in the story saw on their journey meant the children were able to confidently recall a lot of the story and really enjoyed acting it out.
A very good interactive read for children of 3 years and older. A good choice for a basis in Drama activities for children in Key Stage One.
Read
August 17, 2011I remember reading this book many times to children in Nursery during my Teaching Assistant days. I loved reading this book! Its about a family who go out in search of a bear and during their travels they encounter different dilemmas. They go through a storm, make their way through long grass, swim through a river and many other adventures. I like this book because it contains a lot of action words and the children would say the words out loud too and make the actions. So for example the part in the book where the family are squelching through the mud, the children would say "squelch squelch!" and imagine they are doing the exact same by lifting their feet and legs in the air! I think this book allows children to become apart of the story and to imagine how the characters must be feeling. In the end the family finds the bear in a cave and after one look they all rush back home out of fear and proclaim together "We're not going on a bear hunt again!!"
December 20, 2020
Based on a traditional American nursery rhyme (search it out, you’ll be pleasantly surprised when you find the original), the story is a simple one in which a family traverse over a series of landscapes and through a series of weathers to discover a bear that perhaps they thought was never there…
Rosen pitches perfectly the gradual rhythm and rhyme of the first half of the story as we tread towards the cave and then the rush of the chase to get home. Positively choc-a-bloc with onomatopoeic language , any reading encourages actions and noises and young readers delight in joining in. All joy though would not be as significant without Oxenbury’s wonderful watercolours.
For the record, I always, always thought the eldest in the family was dad and never an older brother. I also think Oxenbury shows a very dejected bear at the end too. I’m ignoring or disagreeing with all other interpretations, televised or not.
Rosen pitches perfectly the gradual rhythm and rhyme of the first half of the story as we tread towards the cave and then the rush of the chase to get home. Positively choc-a-bloc with onomatopoeic language , any reading encourages actions and noises and young readers delight in joining in. All joy though would not be as significant without Oxenbury’s wonderful watercolours.
For the record, I always, always thought the eldest in the family was dad and never an older brother. I also think Oxenbury shows a very dejected bear at the end too. I’m ignoring or disagreeing with all other interpretations, televised or not.
October 26, 2017
I have always adored this book, particularly as a child. This story provides an opportunity for children to get fully involved with the events in the book. Uses lots of repetition and can almost be read through a song.
The illustrations are simplistic and colourful and tell the story. This book can also develop children's problem-solving skills: we can't go over it, we can't go under it. What shall we do?
Lots of descriptive words used as well as onomatopoeia.
This story also works really well for children with SEN, particularly with the use of sensory props.
The illustrations are simplistic and colourful and tell the story. This book can also develop children's problem-solving skills: we can't go over it, we can't go under it. What shall we do?
Lots of descriptive words used as well as onomatopoeia.
This story also works really well for children with SEN, particularly with the use of sensory props.
December 10, 2019
This book is wonderful! Such fun to read with the little ones and they pick up the words and rhythm so easily that they join in! It's the perfect family book.
November 7, 2020
A timeless classic for the KS1 classroom. Offers great opportunities for phonics, literacy and outdoor learning.
September 11, 2025
Fantastic metaphor for life…can’t go under it, can’t go over it, gotta go through it.
October 4, 2023
THRILLER OF THE CENTURY!!!
the way i was genuinely terrified about what was gonna happen to them when i was younger scarred me forever like after i read that i had to be in denial about what i just read bc i was terrified and it taught me forever that if u just messed with somebody go hide under the covers and it’ll all be gone bc if u can’t see it it’s not there like if u can’t see the price tag it’s free. girl math. ✌🏻
the author uses the basic boring old formula we all learnt in primary school: build up -> climax -> ending BUT we don’t know what happens in the end so they probably all died and that’s what gets me yk although ngl those little brats deserved it
ok but these kids def did drugs, what delusional little idiots go off to kill a bear, get so hyped about it and then FAIL HAHAHAHAHAHA dumb-dumbs.
can we analyse that rosen references sigmund freud’s psychoanalytic theory of personality through the representation of one’s id as the unrealistic desire to murder and acquire a bear which is then suppressed by their fear of the bear representing the superego, but strangely the ego does not come into play here?
and i think the moral is that hubris is the capitalist’s hamartia, don’t go around eating animals and just stay at home, watch gilmore girls and EAT LEAVES!
can i just say their goal of ursicide is not S.M.A.R.T.??
is it Specific? NO what kind of bear are u looking for??? and why is ur chosen route so bad?? u spent most of the time saying we can’t go over it we can’t go under it we got to go through it PLAN UR ROUTE FOR GOD’S SAKE
is it Measurable? NO do u wanna take the whole bear home or just the head so u can hang it on ur wall u little capitalist pigs???
is it Achievable? HELL NAW how in the world do u (a bunch of kids) think u are going to manage to kill a bear and carry it all the way home when u literally STRUGGLED going on the path urselves??? wait how are u gonna kill it? with ur 'bear' hands (pun intended)?
is it Relevant? NO i’m pretty sure this is illegal in many ways and ursicide isn’t gonna get u many likes or followers anyway u guys are officially less relevant than donald trump rn.
is it Time-bound? NO u guys literally didn’t even think anything through like i can GUARANTEE u didn’t think about all of the actually productive things u could have done in the time u took to FAIL at murdering a bear that could have actually had a cute little family.
i watched michael rosen’s video for this and i beg u all to go spend five minutes of ur time and watch it bc it is hilarious like how much does he get paid to do this i bet he goes off after the camera cuts and lights a cigarette and starts cussing at random people
feel free to comment and i might consider editing some things later so yeah tell me what u think!
the way i was genuinely terrified about what was gonna happen to them when i was younger scarred me forever like after i read that i had to be in denial about what i just read bc i was terrified and it taught me forever that if u just messed with somebody go hide under the covers and it’ll all be gone bc if u can’t see it it’s not there like if u can’t see the price tag it’s free. girl math. ✌🏻
the author uses the basic boring old formula we all learnt in primary school: build up -> climax -> ending BUT we don’t know what happens in the end so they probably all died and that’s what gets me yk although ngl those little brats deserved it
ok but these kids def did drugs, what delusional little idiots go off to kill a bear, get so hyped about it and then FAIL HAHAHAHAHAHA dumb-dumbs.
can we analyse that rosen references sigmund freud’s psychoanalytic theory of personality through the representation of one’s id as the unrealistic desire to murder and acquire a bear which is then suppressed by their fear of the bear representing the superego, but strangely the ego does not come into play here?
and i think the moral is that hubris is the capitalist’s hamartia, don’t go around eating animals and just stay at home, watch gilmore girls and EAT LEAVES!
can i just say their goal of ursicide is not S.M.A.R.T.??
is it Specific? NO what kind of bear are u looking for??? and why is ur chosen route so bad?? u spent most of the time saying we can’t go over it we can’t go under it we got to go through it PLAN UR ROUTE FOR GOD’S SAKE
is it Measurable? NO do u wanna take the whole bear home or just the head so u can hang it on ur wall u little capitalist pigs???
is it Achievable? HELL NAW how in the world do u (a bunch of kids) think u are going to manage to kill a bear and carry it all the way home when u literally STRUGGLED going on the path urselves??? wait how are u gonna kill it? with ur 'bear' hands (pun intended)?
is it Relevant? NO i’m pretty sure this is illegal in many ways and ursicide isn’t gonna get u many likes or followers anyway u guys are officially less relevant than donald trump rn.
is it Time-bound? NO u guys literally didn’t even think anything through like i can GUARANTEE u didn’t think about all of the actually productive things u could have done in the time u took to FAIL at murdering a bear that could have actually had a cute little family.
i watched michael rosen’s video for this and i beg u all to go spend five minutes of ur time and watch it bc it is hilarious like how much does he get paid to do this i bet he goes off after the camera cuts and lights a cigarette and starts cussing at random people
feel free to comment and i might consider editing some things later so yeah tell me what u think!
September 29, 2011
We’re going on a bear hunt written by Michael Rosen is one of my most cherished childhood books. How could I forget it…
We’re going on a bear hunt.
We’re going to catch a big one.
What a beautiful day.
We’re not scared!
It is a fabulous light hearted story about a family who set out on a bear hunt.
During their adventure the family encounter many different terrains along the way: long wavy grass, a deep cold river, thick oozy mud and many more. The family must go through each terrain and this is where the fun begins. Rosen’s use of onomatopoeic words really brings to story to life in each setting, e.g. swishy swashy and splash splash. The story is also backed up with some bright and beautiful illustrations to make the book even more enjoyable for children. After facing many different dilemmas the family eventually reach the gloomy cave where they come face to face with the bear. They quickly scurry out of the cave and back through each terrain creating a scene of chaos and excitement. At the end of this book we see a picture of the family hiding under the bed covers proclaiming that they’re not going on a bear hunt again.
I feel that this book would be a great little resource to use in an early years classroom setting and maybe throughout Key stage 1 as well. This is the ideal book to read out loud to children. The use of repetition of phrases and the element of rhyme in the story is nice. I can just imagine the children joining in and repeating the verses with the teacher. I think that this book would be very useful for sequencing in Literacy. It could be used for a drama lesson, where the children could act out the scenes in the family’s adventure. It could also be linked to geography as it is about a journey and environments, perhaps in a map planning class.
We’re going on a bear hunt.
We’re going to catch a big one.
What a beautiful day.
We’re not scared!
It is a fabulous light hearted story about a family who set out on a bear hunt.
During their adventure the family encounter many different terrains along the way: long wavy grass, a deep cold river, thick oozy mud and many more. The family must go through each terrain and this is where the fun begins. Rosen’s use of onomatopoeic words really brings to story to life in each setting, e.g. swishy swashy and splash splash. The story is also backed up with some bright and beautiful illustrations to make the book even more enjoyable for children. After facing many different dilemmas the family eventually reach the gloomy cave where they come face to face with the bear. They quickly scurry out of the cave and back through each terrain creating a scene of chaos and excitement. At the end of this book we see a picture of the family hiding under the bed covers proclaiming that they’re not going on a bear hunt again.
I feel that this book would be a great little resource to use in an early years classroom setting and maybe throughout Key stage 1 as well. This is the ideal book to read out loud to children. The use of repetition of phrases and the element of rhyme in the story is nice. I can just imagine the children joining in and repeating the verses with the teacher. I think that this book would be very useful for sequencing in Literacy. It could be used for a drama lesson, where the children could act out the scenes in the family’s adventure. It could also be linked to geography as it is about a journey and environments, perhaps in a map planning class.
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