Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “We're Going on a Bear Hunt” as Want to Read:
We're Going on a Bear Hunt
(We're Going on a Bear Hunt)
by
Now the very youngest readers can join in the fun with this Classic Board Book™ edition of We're Going on a Bear Hunt. Full of delightful comedy and high drama, this tale of a brave family's joyous romp through sweeping landscapes is sure to win new fans.
...more
Board Book, First Little Simon board book edition, 36 pages
Published
October 1st 1997
by Little Simon (an imprint of Simon and Schuster, Inc.)
(first published 1989)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
We're Going on a Bear Hunt,
please sign up.
Popular Answered Questions
Maria Fernanda
This answer contains spoilers…
(view spoiler)
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30
Start your review of We're Going on a Bear Hunt
Apr 22, 2012
Kirk
rated it
it was ok
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Masochists
Recommended to Kirk by:
Masochists
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' ...more
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' ...more
Nov 10, 2015
Dave Schaafsma
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
picturebooks
"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 ...more
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 ...more
We're all going on a bear hunt,
Why are we hunting a bear?
For fur?
To eat?
To play marbles with?
We never find out. It keeps me awake at night.
There was no gun. They bought the whole family. Maybe the bear is their uncle? ...more
Why are we hunting a bear?
For fur?
To eat?
To play marbles with?
We never find out. It keeps me awake at night.
There was no gun. They bought the whole family. Maybe the bear is their uncle? ...more
Jun 17, 2018
Matt
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-with-neo,
children-s
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 od
...more
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 an ...more
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 an ...more
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 th ...more
..........
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 th ...more
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-pa ...more
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-pa ...more
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🤷🏻♀️😂
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!
Jun 08, 2018
Maroua
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
children-literature
For fun .
‘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 no ...more
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 no ...more
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.
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 ...more
So ...more
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 ...more
I read this book to my Reception class the day before we went on a school trip to the 'Build a Bear Factory ...more
I 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
...more
Oct 26, 2017
Danielle Elston
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
picture-books
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 fo ...more
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 fo ...more
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 langu ...more
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 langu ...more
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.
...more
Nov 07, 2020
Alice Bennett
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
picture-books,
fun,
year-1,
adventure,
year-2,
family,
reception,
ks1,
animal-books,
read-aloud
A timeless classic for the KS1 classroom. Offers great opportunities for phonics, literacy and outdoor learning.
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 ...more
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 ...more
I remember this as a campfire skit. Captured oral traditions always disappoint me, as they never exactly match the story and wording you learnt - and so it is with We're Going on a Bear Hunt. Also the written word doesn't indicate the sing-song rhythm of the original, and doesn't provide an indication of all the relevant movements. These elements were always critical to the success of the skit, and may be lost in this book form.
Political correctness has modified the story over the years. I suspe ...more
Political correctness has modified the story over the years. I suspe ...more
Well, it certainly isn't my version of a Bear Hunt, or even a Lion Hunt. I think there are hundreds of versions floating out there, and I can't help but be partial to my own. This one was hard for me to read since the words didn't quite go with the tune I know. Plus "What a beautiful day!" and then encountering a snowstorm? Not too much logic there. And the ending had some extra that I've never heard before. I did enjoy the very, very end of that and had a laugh. The illustrations were nice. I'm
...more
'We're Going On a Bear Hunt'by Michael Rosen, practically sums up my reading experience in primary school. This 'join all in' picture book, was read during a whole school assembly. i remember the excitement myself and the other children would feel when asked, " what are they going on?" And we would all shout out, really loudly "A BEAR HUNT!!!".
This happy go lucky picture book, allows the children to run free with their imagination. the use of onomatopoeia words, help the children use their sense ...more
This happy go lucky picture book, allows the children to run free with their imagination. the use of onomatopoeia words, help the children use their sense ...more
This is another classic book that many adults would remember from childhood. Its melody element and use of repetition is catchy and engaging. The use of decriptive words and prepositions are useful in literacy lesson in developing sentences. The use of exclamations are useful in getting children to understand intonation and pitch and how to use these in speech as part of the Speaking and Listening key areas of Early years. This book could also be useul in Geography, as you follow the family's Be
...more
This is a fun and a slightly scary book about a family hunting bears. Moral of the story: Don't hunt bears. Lol.
I love the format. Each picture has a slide out feature that lets your child change the images! Very cool. ...more
I love the format. Each picture has a slide out feature that lets your child change the images! Very cool. ...more
47/45 books read in 2017
NL: Een van mijn vriendinnen is nu een mama, dus kocht ik het kleintje een boek :)
Dit was een van mijn favorieten toen ik klein was (en ook een favoriet van mijn zusje), dus perfect geschikt als een cadeautje. Het liefst geef ik een kinderboek dat ik al gelezen (of herlezen) heb & dit verhaal geeft me nog steeds een warm gevoel. Het is zeker grappiger om het te lezen als een volwassene, maar de spanning is nog steeds aanwezig en het rijmschema geeft het een geweldig ritm ...more
NL: Een van mijn vriendinnen is nu een mama, dus kocht ik het kleintje een boek :)
Dit was een van mijn favorieten toen ik klein was (en ook een favoriet van mijn zusje), dus perfect geschikt als een cadeautje. Het liefst geef ik een kinderboek dat ik al gelezen (of herlezen) heb & dit verhaal geeft me nog steeds een warm gevoel. Het is zeker grappiger om het te lezen als een volwassene, maar de spanning is nog steeds aanwezig en het rijmschema geeft het een geweldig ritm ...more
Helps children to learn rhythm and rhyme for phonological processing
Sep 29, 2018
Jessica Jeffs
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
picture-books
A classic book, that never goes out of fashion! A must read with your class.
Everyone will remember the words! - 'I'm not scared!'
...more
Everyone will remember the words! - 'I'm not scared!'
...more
My favourite book as a child and is always exciting to read! I even read this book to children now!
Jan 17, 2020
Miss Kelly
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
soren-s-books,
picture-books
A thousand stars from Soren
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 Roe Reading ...: We're Going On a Bear Hunt | 1 | 3 | Feb 23, 2021 02:39PM | |
| 2018 Roe Reading ...: We're Going on a Bear Hunt | 2 | 2 | Dec 14, 2020 01:15AM | |
| 2019 Roe Reading ...: We're Going on a Bear Hunt | 1 | 2 | Oct 10, 2020 01:53PM | |
| 2019 Roe Reading ...: We're going on a bear hunt | 1 | 1 | Oct 02, 2020 06:15AM | |
| 2019 Roe Reading ...: We're Going on a Bear Hunt | 1 | 3 | Oct 01, 2020 08:00AM | |
| 2019 Roe Reading ...: We're Going on a Bear Hunt | 1 | 2 | Sep 30, 2020 03:28PM | |
| 2019 Roe Reading ...: We're Going on a Bear Hunt | 1 | 1 | Sep 30, 2020 02:41PM |
Readers also enjoyed
Michael 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. ...more
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information. ...more
Other books in the series
We're Going on a Bear Hunt
(10 books)
Related Articles
This June, as we observe LGBTQ Pride—the annual celebration of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning communities—we...
208 likes · 75 comments
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
