Little Bear
A teacher’s look at why this book belongs in the Read-to-Me, Read-by-Me stage.
Why it fits Read-to-Me, Read-by-Me (for the kindergarten-ready set, between being read to and reading alone)
Little Bear's four adventures end, always, in warmth. Sendak's art gives an easy reader the dignity of real literature. Sixty years of first readers started here.
What makes it special
Minarik's four little stories run on kindness — soup, birthday wishes, a trip to the moon that ends at home. Sendak's crosshatched, old-world illustrations give an easy reader the gravity of literature. It proves to new readers that simple words can hold real warmth, not just cat-sat-mat.
From the publisher
Celebrate the timeless warmth of a mother's love with the very first ever I Can Read book! Meet Little Bear, a friend to millions of children. And meet Mother Bear, who is there whenever Little Bear needs her. When it…
About Else Holmelund Minarik
Else Holmelund Minarik (1920–2012), a Danish-born first-grade teacher, wrote Little Bear because her students had nothing worthy to practice on — and in doing so launched HarperCollins' I Can Read line, the first true easy-reader series.
Teaching in rural New York, she brought the manuscript to legendary editor Ursula Nordstrom, who paired her with a young Maurice Sendak; the 1957 result created an entire genre.
Also by this author: Father Bear Comes Home · Little Bear’s Visit · A Kiss for Little Bear
More from “I Can Read This Myself”
This book is part of The Best Books for Beginning Readers: 30 Teacher Picks (Read-to-Me, Read-by-Me) in our guide The Best Children’s Books by Age — 120 books chosen by the Montessori-certified teachers at Creative Minds Montessori in Frisco, TX. Come see how we build readers →
Nobody paid for this review — not the author, not the publisher — and the store link above earns us nothing. Our only interest is the reader this book fits.