Make a Wish, Honey Bear!

by Marcus Pfister

It is Honey Bear's birthday, but it seems as if everyone except his mother has forgotten. Then Mother calls Honey Bear into the clearing and, ""Surprise!"" there is his whole family and his very best friend singing ""Happy Birthday"" to him! Mother brings out a beautiful cake. ""Blow out the candles, Honey Bear, "" she says. ""And don't forget to make a wish."" What should Honey Bear wish for? They all offer different, suggestions that reflect their affection for Honey Bear and their particular relationship to him, and they are all good wishes. What will Honey Bear decide? From the creator of the bestselling Rainbow Fish books comes a sweet and simple story about a lucky little bear who discovers just how much he is loved.

Genres: Family, Childrens

32 pages, Library Binding

First published September 1, 1999

About the author

Marcus Pfister was born in Berne, Switzerland, and began his career as a graphic artist in an advertising agency. In 1983, he decided to dedicate more time to artistic pursuits, and began to write and illustrate his first book, The Sleepy Owl, which was published in 1986. His best-known work to date is The Rainbow Fish, which has remained on bestseller lists across the United States since 1992.

Marcus does most of his illustrations for children's books in watercolors. He begins each book by stretching watercolor paper over a wooden board so that it won't warp when wet. He then copies his rough sketches onto the paper in pencil. At this point, he is ready to begin painting. For backgrounds and blended contours, he uses wet paint on wet paper to get a softer effect. For sharper details, he first lets the paper dry, then paints the final picture layer by layer. When the illustration is complete he cuts the paper from the wooden board.

For books that feature holographic foil stamping, he then tapes a piece of transparent film over the art and indicates with a black marker where the foil stamping should be. The foil stamping is then applied during the production process after the pages are printed and before the final binding.

Marcus and his wife, Kathryn, work together in Berne, where they live with their three children.

Reviews

[Christine Grant · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wishing Story Time. On Honey Bear's birthday all of his family and friends have suggestions for his birthday wish. What will he choose as his special wish?

[Spencer · Rating 3 out of 5]

2023

2021
Gift from Harper's grandmother

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute illustrations! It's Honey Bear's birthday and he has to decide what to wish for among the myriad of suggestions from his family and friends. It would be a fun, but not outstanding, group read aloud.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary- Honey bear believes that everyone has forgotten his birthday and is feeling very sad about it. Till his surprise birthday party where he is asked to blow out his candles and make a wish. His family members suggest a few ideas such as; many good friends, all the luck in the world, sunshine everyday, a big salmon, lots of play time, a thick coat, a sharp nose, and a undisturbed winters sleep. While each family makes a suggestion they each go out and give Honey bear a bit of love. After thinking about what to wish for he blows out the candles and tells everyone he wished that all his birthdays could be as happy as this one.
Reaction- This story is all about the love one has for their family, and being content with just being around them rather then basing your happiness purely on material items or specific activities. This is a important notion to instill in children to give them a well rounded outlook on life.

[Kelli Carlson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Make a Wish, Honey Bear by Marcus Pfister was a very fun and cute read about a young Honey Bear who gets a nice birthday surprise. The book starts with the little bear sad and thought only his mother had remembered his big day, but is shortly surprised when he finds a surprise party with his whole family waiting at home. As the members of his family tell him what to wish for the author educates the reader of common things that bears do; for instance, catch salmon, wrestle, play, hibernate, find sweet smelling things and much more. The book is educational in that sense and also is a good read for 1-3rd graders. It is challenging but has many common words that most students can identify. I think this book would be a great book to have in your class library and is fun book about bears! Read more to find out what the young bear actually wishes for.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Giving this to my niece as well