Love Songs of the Little Bear

by Margaret Wise Brown, Susan Jeffers (Illustrator)

Four never-before-published poems celebrate the profound in everyday moments and simple things by following a little bear through the seasons of the year as he experiences the wonders of the world for the first time.

Genres: Picture Books, Poetry, Childrens, Animals

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 30, 2001

About the author

Margaret Wise Brown wrote hundreds of books and stories during her life, but she is best known for Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny. Even though she died nearly 70 years ago, her books still sell very well.

Margaret loved animals. Most of her books have animals as characters in the story. She liked to write books that had a rhythm to them. Sometimes she would put a hard word into the story or poem. She thought this made children think harder when they are reading.

She wrote all the time. There are many scraps of paper where she quickly wrote down a story idea or a poem. She said she dreamed stories and then had to write them down in the morning before she forgot them.

She tried to write the way children wanted to hear a story, which often isn't the same way an adult would tell a story. She also taught illustrators to draw the way a child saw things. One time she gave two puppies to someone who was going to draw a book with that kind of dog. The illustrator painted many pictures one day and then fell asleep. When he woke up, the papers he painted on were bare. The puppies had licked all the paint off the paper.

Margaret died after surgery for a bursting appendix while in France. She had many friends who still miss her. They say she was a creative genius who made a room come to life with her excitement. Margaret saw herself as something else - a writer of songs and nonsense.

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although Susan Jeffers' pictures are in many ways truly expressive in scope and very sweetly rendered (but actually also even a trifle too aesthetically cutesy for me, as I definitely do rather prefer my illustrated bears to appear a little less like stuffed teddies and a bit more like realistic looking and potentially even wild animals), the four presented Margaret Wise Brown poems included in Love Songs of the Little Bear, well in my opinion, there is a reason why they remained unpublished at her death and quite frankly, they should probably have remained thus. For honestly, except for the first poem, except for Love Song of the Little Bear (which certainly is glowingly tender and imbued with much true sentimentality and feeling) I have found the featured verses awkward, painfully repetitive and often annoyingly tedious (and this even though I usually tend to very much enjoy and appreciate nature and weather themed poetry). Therfore and sadly, the presented Margaret Wise Brown texts for the most part (and in my humble opinion) do read and sound annoyingly, frustratingly pedestrian and dragging to my eyes and ears, and yes indeed, even considering that I have found that first poem quite enjoyable in and of itself, as a whole, as an entity, the combination of text and images in Love Songs of the Little Bear has been at best rather mundane, trivialising and pretty much a reading (and even somewhat of a visual) let-down (and really disappointing).

[Stephanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

On the upside, the carrying case for these four tiny books is really cute. The illustrations are also adorable.

I know Margaret Wise Brown is like a Childhood Author God, but the writing in this series of poems is awful. She would not want them published. I am sure of it. Editors and estates should not dig up previously unpublished poems that suck by famous writers and publish them. There should be a rule.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this at a book sale and bought it mostly for the illustrations. My one-year-old loves bears and she has taken an instant liking to the book. She flips through the pages, points to the bears, growls at them, and kisses the front cover. I'm not crazy about the text - lots of Margaret Wise Brown's unpublished poetry was probably better off unpublished - but the pictures make the book worth reading.

[Ashley Barnard · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the illustrations, but the poems were not that interesting. "Love Song of the Little Bear" was the only one in the book that I thought was cute. The other poems were hard to get through.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beautiful artwork... Not crazy about the rhythm of the words.

[darnfeinbookthoughts · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read the picture book version to my son. The illustrations are great and are the only thing that held his attention.

[Beth]

Love Songs of the Little Bear is a great book to use to expose a young poet to poetry. The four poems have all of the elements to be great poems: rhyme, repetition, symbolism, themes, and emotions. They also all tell a story. They tell the story of a little bear, and the little bear's adventures and interests can mimic those of a Kindergarten or 1st grade student who is exploring the world and figuring out how to properly articulate his/her thoughts. the pictures make it easy for a young reader to determine the emotions of rhe little bear in each poem, but some of the language, especially in the poem "Love Song of the Little Bear" will challenge a early poetry enthusiast to think and infer. The challenge should be welcome, and this book will be enjoyed by many children.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love Song of the Little Bear, Green Song, Son of Wind & Rain, Snow Song
Jeffers chose 4 of Brown's unpublished poems and grouped them in a book showing a family of bears walking through the seasons.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four delightful poems that entwines the four seasons as Little Bear enjoys each of them.

[Jordan Devine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a cute book. I loved how the little bear sang all the songs based on the weather it was very cute. It would be good for young kids to know the weather more.

[Leila · Rating 2 out of 5]

Edited...to say this isn't the book cover or author originally uploaded on Shelfari. This was The Birth House by Ami McKay.

It was okay, but not great. I especially liked the ladies from NFLD and the description of the Halifax explosion, as well as the time spent in Boston.
Granted the protagonist ages during the novel, but it seemed as if McKay's writing improved from the beginning to the end, too. It was rather torturous to read the first two sections of the book. I had flashbacks to tutoring Jr./Sr. High students and reading their English papers.
I was intrigued by the focus on midwifery and the naturopathic portions of the novel.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stray - If I stray from my mom, do I stay close, or go far away?
Bloom - if a flower blooms, does it open or close?
Float - If the bottles float, do they go to the bottom of the river, or stay near the top?
Tangled - If my hair is tangled, are there a lot of knots, or not a lot of knots? Easy or hard to run a comb through?
Creep -
Stem - can you point to the stem on the plant?

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely. The illustration when the little bear stands in the rain looking up is perfect. Something about making the little bear's world into sectioned songs really works.

[Michaela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a cuddly and comforting book when talking about the love of family. Another classic I loved as a child and will definitely include in my classroom library.

[Annabella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Apparently we like this book we choose it again in October 2013

[Emerson and Theodore · Rating 3 out of 5]

He doesn't have the box just the book. It's good, not great as the Japanese man in sharknado said.

[Mary Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very sweet picture book with four little poems about love and the seasons.

[Rachel B. · Rating 2 out of 5]

While my toddler loves other Brown books, this one just didn't capture her attention visually.

[Leona · Rating 3 out of 5]

little bear has songs for each season. the illustrations are beautiful! text is a little weak.