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Jesse Bear
Climb the Family Tree, Jesse Bear!
Are we there yet?
Are we there yet?
We're here, Jesse Bear!
We're here!
At his family reunion, Jesse Bear visits with aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins galore. Readers will love being introduced to this lively extended family, and they will celebrate with Jesse bear when he is finally old enough to do something very special.
Nancy White Carlstrom and Bruce Degen once again explore a preschooler's world through the eyes of the always endearing Jesse Bear.
Are we there yet?
We're here, Jesse Bear!
We're here!
At his family reunion, Jesse Bear visits with aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins galore. Readers will love being introduced to this lively extended family, and they will celebrate with Jesse bear when he is finally old enough to do something very special.
Nancy White Carlstrom and Bruce Degen once again explore a preschooler's world through the eyes of the always endearing Jesse Bear.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published June 22, 2004
1 person is currently reading
34 people want to read
About the author
Nancy White Carlstrom
76 books24 followersNancy White Carlstrom has written more than 50 books for children, including the Jesse Bear series with illustrator Bruce Degan.
Born the daughter of steel mill worker William J. and Eva (Lawrence) White, Nancy White Carlstrom was born in Washington, Pennsylvania, on August 4, 1948. She practiced writing poetry, enjoyed reading books like Little Women, and wanted to become a children’s book author at an early age. Carlstrom worked in the children’s department of her local library in Washington during her high school years. She graduated from Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, majoring in Elementary Education and earning her B.A. in 1970, also studying at Harvard Extension School and Radcliffe from 1974 to 1976. In September of 1974, she married David R. Carlstrom, later a pilot and a marketing director at Fairbanks International Airport. They had two children—Jesse and Joshua.
She draws inspiration from her 18 years living in Alaska, volunteer experiences in Africa and Haiti, and raising her two sons.
Born the daughter of steel mill worker William J. and Eva (Lawrence) White, Nancy White Carlstrom was born in Washington, Pennsylvania, on August 4, 1948. She practiced writing poetry, enjoyed reading books like Little Women, and wanted to become a children’s book author at an early age. Carlstrom worked in the children’s department of her local library in Washington during her high school years. She graduated from Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, majoring in Elementary Education and earning her B.A. in 1970, also studying at Harvard Extension School and Radcliffe from 1974 to 1976. In September of 1974, she married David R. Carlstrom, later a pilot and a marketing director at Fairbanks International Airport. They had two children—Jesse and Joshua.
She draws inspiration from her 18 years living in Alaska, volunteer experiences in Africa and Haiti, and raising her two sons.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 14, 2023
Come along for the ride, come along with Jesse Bear as he goes to a family reunion.
Everything about this book is pitch-perfect for preschoolers:
* The simple text
* How nicely everybody in the family has dressed
* Their perfect manners. Everyone gets along beautifully.
* The music
* And, of course, the food
Seen through the innocent eyes of a preschooler, this perfection is how life is.
FIVE STARS for nurturing ideas of perfection.
Also, it's so clever what we learn about "The Family Tree."
Everything about this book is pitch-perfect for preschoolers:
* The simple text
* How nicely everybody in the family has dressed
* Their perfect manners. Everyone gets along beautifully.
* The music
* And, of course, the food
Seen through the innocent eyes of a preschooler, this perfection is how life is.
FIVE STARS for nurturing ideas of perfection.
Also, it's so clever what we learn about "The Family Tree."
August 23, 2021
Super cute book
March 18, 2023
A fun book about a family reunion. Best for preschool and up due to length
December 19, 2016
This final book in the Jesse Bear series opens with a picture of the Bear family tree, which shows Jesse up on top and all the other family members on contributing branches farther below, with Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa Bear represented by the trunk. The title page then shows Jesse literally climbing a tree, and the following dedication page shows him drawing a tree. By the time he or she reaches the family reunion on the first page of text, the reader is more than prepared to focus on trees, both literally and figuratively.
Every member of the Bear family represented on the tree diagram is at the reunion.
Auntie Lin and Auntie Kim
And old Great-Auntie Lou
Wear their shawls and pat my head
And say, "Oh, look at you!
Pictures and quilts represent the great-grandparents, who are presumably no longer alive, but their portraits look ridiculously old fashioned, and couldn't possibly be that closely related to a modern-day child.
Jesse, who is definitely the first-person narrator this time around describes what the family talks about as the day goes on:
We hear family tales of long ago:
Weddings by the tree,
The day you raced to the hospital,
The day you first saw me!
Even with few words - only four lines to a page - these descriptions manage to recreate the feeling of being surrounded by extended family.
As the book goes on, it becomes clear that the family tree is an actual tree that has been significant to the Bears for generations. I'm not sure the relationship between family tree diagrams and actual trees is fully developed, but the triumph Jesse feels at finally being big enough to climb this important tree certainly comes across loud and clear.
Overall, this book was just okay. It was not among my favorites, but it does adhere to my favorite Jesse Bear format, which is the simple and straightforward rhyming text established by the first book. There was also the neat, added bonus of seeing each family member's face on the back of the book and being able to associate the names with the faces throughout the book.
Not a bad finale to an overall great series.
Every member of the Bear family represented on the tree diagram is at the reunion.
Auntie Lin and Auntie Kim
And old Great-Auntie Lou
Wear their shawls and pat my head
And say, "Oh, look at you!
Pictures and quilts represent the great-grandparents, who are presumably no longer alive, but their portraits look ridiculously old fashioned, and couldn't possibly be that closely related to a modern-day child.
Jesse, who is definitely the first-person narrator this time around describes what the family talks about as the day goes on:
We hear family tales of long ago:
Weddings by the tree,
The day you raced to the hospital,
The day you first saw me!
Even with few words - only four lines to a page - these descriptions manage to recreate the feeling of being surrounded by extended family.
As the book goes on, it becomes clear that the family tree is an actual tree that has been significant to the Bears for generations. I'm not sure the relationship between family tree diagrams and actual trees is fully developed, but the triumph Jesse feels at finally being big enough to climb this important tree certainly comes across loud and clear.
Overall, this book was just okay. It was not among my favorites, but it does adhere to my favorite Jesse Bear format, which is the simple and straightforward rhyming text established by the first book. There was also the neat, added bonus of seeing each family member's face on the back of the book and being able to associate the names with the faces throughout the book.
Not a bad finale to an overall great series.
September 9, 2013
Jesse Bear goes to a family reunion at Grandma and Grandpa Bear's house.
Lovingly illustrated and told in rhyme.
Sean picked this book out at the library and gave it 6 stars after reading it with me.
Lovingly illustrated and told in rhyme.
Sean picked this book out at the library and gave it 6 stars after reading it with me.
Read
July 19, 2008A good introduction to the concept of family trees for younger children. (Choice)
October 2, 2009
Not as fun as some of the other Jesse Bear books but it was fun to identify my counterparts on the family tree. Reminded me of my family reunions.
April 9, 2012
Our entire family loves all the Jesse Bear Books! There a must & get read at least once for bedtime every week!
January 13, 2014
The kids love the whole Jesse Bear series and love to stare at the pictures to figure out who is who and what 's going on.
June 23, 2015
A cute introduction for genecology and family history for young kids. The story was good and inviting, but the illustrations were a bit plain and ordinary.
March 23, 2020
12/2008 For Lincoln from Grandpa & Gramie Black.
2/13/17 Read with Naomi & Julia.
2/12/2018 Read with Naomi & Julia.
3/22/20 Read with Julia #covidreader
2/13/17 Read with Naomi & Julia.
2/12/2018 Read with Naomi & Julia.
3/22/20 Read with Julia #covidreader
January 11, 2017
Say "Privilege," Jesse Bear!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews