Product Description

Follow the family's excitement as they wade through the grass, splash through the river and squelch through the mud in search of a bear. What a surprise awaits them in the cave on the other side of the dark forest. This is a mini-sized gift edition of Michael Rosen's tale.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #107179 in Books
• Published on: 2001-07-09
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 40 pages

Customer Reviews

heart warming
my 4 year old son told me the bear hunt story, which i thought was lovely (as he spent so much time doing the actions). When i took him to the libary, can you imagine his delight when he found it. I have decided to buy him his own little copy.

We're going on a bear hunt. We're going to catch a big one. What a beautiful day, we're not scared ...
Children love repetition and the chorus of this poem (see the title of this review) has the necessary repetition without being head-bangingly tedious for the adult reader. The rhythm of the poem/story is wonderful and we find ourselves chanting it on family walks. When our little boy was only 2 years old he could join in with us.

For each verse a new weather condition or practical obstacle (such as mud, a perenial little boy's favourite) is encountered. This provides the opportunity for lots of onomatopoeic "squelch, squerch", "swishy swashy", "hoo woo" and the like chants. Another winner with the children.

Finally after a long hunt the bear is found and everyone runs home to safety. This echoes the sort of I'm-coming-to-get-you, run-away game that parents and children have always played and enjoyed. Marvellous.

One word of advice - be mindful whether you're ordering a paperback, hardback or board book. When I first started buying for very small children on Amazon (wanting the more robust board books) I confused the last two formats resulting in some irritating returns and exchanges.

The kids love it.
I ordered this unseen in response to rave reviews on Amazon. At first sight I thought it was a shame that every other illustration was a black and white line drawing - 'the kids'll never go for it', I thought. But they don't mind a bit! They love chanting along with the words that repeat throughout the book, and they love making all the sounds. It's become a real favourite for both my 4 and my 2 year old.