Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See?

Bill Martin's Bears #4

by Bill Martin Jr., Eric Carle (Illustrator)

Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See? is the final collaboration from this bestselling author-illustrator team. Young readers will enjoy Baby Bear's quest to find Mama, and they'll revel in identifying each of the native North American animals that appear along the way. The central focus on the special bond between mother and child makes a fitting finale to a beloved series.

These groundbreaking picture books have been teaching children to read for over forty years, and their consistently strong sales prove their staying power and continued applicability for today's kids.

A Children's Book-of-the-Month Club Main Selection

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Storytime, Fiction, Classics, Poetry

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 21, 2007

About the author

Bill Martin, Jr. (1916-2004) was an elementary-school principal, teacher, writer, and poet. His more than 300 books, among them the bestselling classics Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See ; Polar Bear Polar Bear What Do You Hear ; Panda Bear Panda Bear What Do You See ; and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom , are a testament to his ability to speak directly to children. Martin held a doctoral degree in early childhood education. Born in Kansas, he worked as an elementary-school principal in Chicago before moving to New York City, where he worked in publishing, developing innovative reading programs for schools. After several years, he devoted himself full-time to writing his children's books. He lived in New York until 1993, when he moved to Texas. He lived in the east Texas woods, near the town of Commerce, until he passed away in 2004.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/billma...

Reviews

[Jasmine from How Useful It Is · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book for my 13 months old a couple of times. Decided to add on here now because I’m behind my reading goals haha but it’s a good book. Many animals and good visuals.

[Ghazaal B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

So many many astonishing animals out there..

[Caden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading time with my little nephie is my favorite. 💛

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good stuff.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic and fun story I remember from my childhood! 🥹 The kids I read this with really enjoyed it. 💕

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Similar to Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, almost to the point of direct repetition. But this one is slightly superior in that it has a more appealing trajectory, fewer fake animals, and far more words for children to learn.

[Aidalys Nazario · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this collection of books. These are the books that keep young children interested and wanting to read. The children get to learn about different animals and different colors. This book teaches so many things to children. The illustrations are realistic yet not too scary for the children. I love it.

[Taylor Roussel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my two-year-old little cousin's favorite books. He was obsessed with it when he was a little younger but he still enjoys it. I love the books by Bill Martin Jr, especially the bear specific one. I think it is a great book for children who are just learning to talk and recognize different animals. It also helps with color association as well. As he developed he started to say the animal sounds as we read through it. This is one of the books that I feel is beneficial to have in a home or classroom library.

[Desiree Schirg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a sequel to the book Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?. In this story a baby bear is in search of finding it's mother. The baby bear meets many North American animals that appear along the way. Many of these animals are not familiar animals to younger students such as a blue heron or mule deer. I can see students wanting to research and learn more about these unfamiliar animals and it introduces new vocabulary to students. The descriptive words in the book enhance the imagery of how these animals travel in their real habitats. At the end of the story, it recaps all of the animals shown in the book which is good in helping young readers with sequencing. Students will also love the text pattern of this book and I can picture making my class creating a class big-book using this text pattern and having students create new animals. Younger students love to read along in a story when they knew the words during shared reading. Eric Carle's illustrations are unique and beautiful as usual! It could also help young readers identify colors and color words!

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having the book available in a larger format than usual as well as the accompanying CD featuring actress Gwyneth Paltrow reading it aloud may charm many young readers. No matter the size of the book or the musical embellishments on the CD, this picture book will also have appeal because of the way each part of the story fits together with the others. Youngsters will enjoy trying to guess what Baby Bear and the other animals see, the description of each animal, the interesting artwork with all those colors and shades, and they will love the repetitive nature of the questions. It's hard to imagine anyone who wouldn't love sharing this with a youngster or any youngster who would not want to hear the book read aloud. Ideal for teaching children to love language, there is much to celebrate here, including the bond between a mother and her little one.

The second version of this classic story that I recently read has a lift-the-tab format, and the book itself is quite small, perfect for the hands of a little one.

[Boom! · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are big fans of Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See , so when we found this version with Baby Bear we knew we'd be in for a treat. This is cute and my kids enjoyed the different animals that Baby Bear sees along his journey.

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another beautiful and simple story by Bill Martin.

[Cosette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great. A treat. Em "read" half, I read the other half.

[Sarah A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated, nice choice of animals and easy words for my beginner reader. Probably the first book she has read 90% of by herself!

[Andréa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this one more than the original "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?"

[SaraLaLa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty much a standard Eric Carl book. It provides a good list of a variety of animals and verbs.

[Grace Noto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See?
Author: Bill Martin Jr.
Illustrator: Eric Carle
Genre: predictable book
Theme(s): animals, picture book, alliteration, repetition
Opening line/sentence: “Baby bear, baby bear, what do you see?”
Brief book summary: A baby bear goes around seeing all different types of animals. As the book goes on, we see the perspectives of the different animals.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1:
Name of reviewer: Pat Trattles
Name of Source: CLCD
Link: http://www.clcd.com/#/bookdetail/1/0/...
Short blurb:
The award winning author/illustrator team of Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle does it again in this, the final installment of the classic bear books. Using the same repetitious refrain pattern originally introduced over forty years ago in Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, and echoed in succeeding books, Martin introduces readers to a variety of North American mammals as Baby Bear sets out on his quest to find his mother. Whereas in the original all the animals were looking at me, in this version Martin uses a variety of action words to describe the unique characteristics of each animal. Baby Bear sees a red fox slipping by, who sees a flying squirrel gliding by, who sees a mountain goat climbing near, etc. Carle s drawings are dramatic, yet simple and capture each animal in motion using bright colors against a bold white background. The repetitious nature of the text makes this a great book for children learning to read. Like the other bear books which proceeded it, it is sure to be enjoyed by parents, teachers, and children of all ages

Professional Recommendation/Review #2:
Name of reviewer: Unknown
Name of Source: Kirkus Reviews
Link: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...
Short blurb:
In its fourth—and billed as final—iteration, this primary level Q-and-A introduces ten North American mammals, from red fox and blue heron to rattlesnake, mule deer and finally (unspecified, but possibly Kodiak) Mama Bear. As always, Carle’s spread-filling painted-paper constructs capture a true sense of the animals’ looks, depicting each in a natural pose, gazing invitingly up at young viewers. As with its predecessors, the introduction of new material within a familiar, interactive structure makes a winning formula for keying new and pre-readers into colors, sequences and nature. Martin died in 2004—here’s a fitting close to what will likely remain his most lasting work for children.

Response to Two Professional Reviews:
Both reviews of the book were positive and referenced the other books in the popular series. It seems as though the author found a good formula for an intriguing book series. The illustrator did a fantastic job drawing the animals in a colorful and cheery fashion. I like how each page was a surprise and we got to find out what “baby bear” saw as he did.

Evaluation of Literary Elements:
This book was very simple and the repetitive nature of it could be helpful to new readers.

Consideration of Instructional Application:
I think one of the biggest draws of this book is the animals. I think that it would be fun to have my students draw or paint different animals. Also, since the book is repetitive like many songs, I could easily turn the book into a song.

[Alyssa Kleiner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See?

Author:
 Bill Martin Jr.
Illustrator: Eric Carle

Genre: Predictable Book

Theme(s): Picture Book, Animals, Family – Mother and Child

Opening line/sentence: Baby Bear, Baby Bear, what do you see?
Brief Book Summary: Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See? is a picture book that introduces
children to different animals. Through rhyme and predictable phrases, it also describes the way
animals move.

Professional Recommendation/Review #1:
• Kirkus Review
• https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...-
you-see/
• “As always, Carle’s spread-filling painted-paper constructs capture a true sense of the
animals’ looks, depicting each in a natural pose, gazing invitingly up at young viewers. As with its
predecessors, the introduction of new material within a familiar, interactive structure makes a
winning formula for keying new and pre-readers into colors, sequences and nature.
Professional Recommendation/Review #2:
• Hornbook Guide Reviews
• http://www.hornbookguide.com/cgi-bin/...?
a=results&s=188635&title=baby+bear+baby+bear+what+do+you+see&authors=&series=&publisher=
&pubyear=&isbn=&keywords=&agegroup=&rating=&fiction=&nonfiction=&sort=&submit=Search+t
he+Database
• “This book by the creators of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? follows the same
successful pattern. Readers are introduced to different animals and how they move ("Red Fox, Red
Fox, what do you see? / I see a flying squirrel gliding by me"). The text is rhythmically pleasing,
and the large-scale illustrations set against white backgrounds are eye-catching.”
Response to Two Professional Reviews: 

• I completely agree with the two reviews. I think that this book is captivating – no matter what
age you are. The book has beautiful illustrations and large text. The animals are both illustrated,
as well as textually described. It’s a great way to visualize and imagine the animals.

Evaluation of Literary Elements:
• Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See? includes beautiful illustrations. These illustrations
perfectly capture the animals they are portraying. The visuals are large, but do not overwhelm the
reader. The text is bold and simple, allowing the reader to focus on the illustrations.
Consideration of Instructional Application: (3-4 sentences in your own words): 

• A great and fun way to extend the mini-lesson would be to have the children draw their own
animals, and describe the way that they move. I could put together all of the children’s drawings
and descriptions and we can make a class book. It’s a great book to read if we were doing a unit on
animals. It could also connect to a lesson about adjectives, because the children need to describe
the animal.

[Cindy Overcast · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See?” written by Bill Martin Jr. and illustrated by Eric Carle (Copyright 2007, Henry Holt and Company) is one of the “Bears” series, which began in 1967 with “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” This installment is the story of a young bear who encounters a variety of animals while searching for its mother. Told in rhyme with repetitive text, the book puts a spotlight on ten of the many wild animals that can be found in North America. Each illustration presents a different animal in colorful collage, with the last set of pages bringing them all together and reuniting the baby bear with its mother. This timeless book is a favorite of mine that I hope will continue to be shared for many generations to come. This review was originally published as part of my "Picture Book Favorites for Babies and Toddlers" blog post at www.cindyovercast.com.

[Nate Richey]

This book is about a baby bear looking throughout nature and looking at different animals. Someone asks these animals what they see and the animal answers with another animal. this goes on until it reaches mama bear who sees her baby bear.

This is a cute book. It is perfect or young kids beginning to read. It has short sentences and would be able to keep kids attention span. The book is partially done by Eric Carle so the illustrations look like the illustrations in Hungry Hungry Caterpillar. They are very well done.

This book is a good boom to teach kids animals. There are 10 animals in this book for young kids to learn. This book, since it is short with very little words, is good to teach kids how to read as well.

[Lindsay Soltis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is describing all the animals and how they move in real life. Each animal is describing what they see and it gets you familiar with the different kinds of animals. The strengths with this story is that it shows all the animals and they're colors of their fur and how they move everywhere they go. I also like at the end of the story it has different quizzes for the kids to do to get them to comprehend to the story and understand it more. One possible issue is that it does repeat sentences a lot. It helps the teachers when they are describing animals and how they move but it grabs the children's attention with different colors of animals.

[Andrea Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andrea Thomas
11/05/2017

Test to Teaching Connection

Such an awesome book with vivid colors which will allow the children to learn their colors as well as animals. A great classroom activity is to ask each student what was their favorite animal and the what was the animals color? We can also put up a chart and write down the response that each child give us and see what animal received the most likes. Then allow each child to draw and color their favorite animal and ask each student why they liked that particular animal and then we will hang each picture up so that the whole class can see. Might even sing Old McDonald had a farm.

[Courtney Durbin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an addition to the classic "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?". Brown bear now has a baby cub, and this time around it is their turn to look around their habitat and see what the world has to offer. I enjoyed the bright and vivid colors of the animals, along with the multiple shades that helped add definition. In this story the animals are observing other animals, and give descriptive details about the other features or actions that they do. This story would be perfect for a unit on animals and categorizing them by region or features! Young readers would absolutely enjoy this fun read. I highly recommend adding this book to your classroom book shelf.

[Denise みか Hutchins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now that I've read all the books in this series, I am a little sad to say none of the sequels can fully stand up to the original. But! this final entry is not a bad book in any way. The text is pretty easy to read aloud, and the illustrations are just as lovely as ever. The conclusion is unique in the series, as it does not feature humans at all. I love that the theme of this book is wild animals of North America, with a subtle hint at the necessity of their conservation. It's definitely a book worth having, as part of an illustrator's children's picturebook collection, or just so that kids can own and enjoy the complete series.

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See? is a rhyming book about a baby bear looking for it's mother and seeing everything but. It could be a good book for very early readers during shared reading. They can 'read' the beginning of most pages following the books formula and the teachers reading of the last part of the page prior. While they are doing this they see the teacher following along left to right, top to bottom, turning pages, and using picture cues. It would be a good resource for teaching print features.

[Kenyatta Hicks-cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book. The kids will love the books because of the animals that were used. Also the kids will love this book because the animals are so very colorful. The author used animals that are very kid friendly. The book also follows the same pattern that would be easy for an early reader to understand. The cover has you fooled because you think you are going to read about bears but once you open the book the children will be pleasantly surprised when they see all the different animals.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See? is the final collaboration from this bestselling author-illustrator team. Young readers will enjoy Baby Bear's quest to find Mama, and they'll revel in identifying each of the native North American animals that appear along the way. The central focus on the special bond between mother and child makes a fitting finale to a beloved series.

These groundbreaking picture books have been teaching children to read for over forty years, and their consistently strong sales prove their staying power and continued applicability for today's kids.

[David]

Of all the Bill Martin Jr and Eric Carle books this is my favorite and my son requests it the most of all of them. I like this one best because it restricts the animals to North American Endangered Species so it has a gentle ecological theme. The format of all of these wonderful books, in general, are also quite brilliant using repetitive language on each page to introduce the animals and then at the end the final two pages review all the animals with small pictures. As a learning device it is so effective and I love letting my son say all the animals at the end as I point to them.

[Stephen Paul Chase, Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book, and I miss the writer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

A succession of animals, beginning with a baby bear, are asked what they see.

This book introduces young readers to animals native to North America. It features rhyming repetitive text, which allows small children to anticipate what will happen next and participate in the story, as well as Eric Carle's classic illustrations.