The Christmas Bear [Hardcover]

Henrietta Stickland (Author), Paul Stickland (Author)

Book Description

A curious young polar bear tumbles through a mysterious hole in the snow and ends up in the midst of Santa's workshop, where the corpulent charmer himself leads little Cub on an wonderful tour. BOMC Main.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Ages 4-7. The art's the thing here, and there's so much to see that children will want to pore over this before and after Christmas. The hook on which the story hangs is the tumble of a curious polar bear right through a hole in the snow into Santa's study. Santa takes Cub on a tour of the property, and this is what readers will enjoy. The panoramic two-page spreads and individual panels begin at the top of the world and continue through the workshops, into the kitchen and the wrapping room (where long, colorful sheets of paper hang from the ceiling), and off to the barn. Best of all is the toy storage room. Dolls, bears, trucks, tops, robots--of every conceivable shape and size--fill the gigantic space. Talk about a kid in a candy store! Readers can plan their Christmas gifts 10 times over. There's no real story to speak of, and in the end, not surprisingly, Cub gets a ride home in the sleigh. But this is a delight to look at, like a Christmas tree sparkling with lights. Ilene Cooper

From Kirkus Reviews

Alice-like, the polar bear cub slips into a hole in the snow--and falls down, down into Santa's book-lined, toy-bedecked office. The kindly gentleman remarks, ``You must be answering my ad,'' and shows him around: mailroom (Cub's not eligible for a job here--he knows only one language), workshop (``every kind of toy in the world,'' but it's a benign lot compared to most stores), ``the North Pole itself'' (a fantastic electric generator), testing room, wrapping room, etc. Tour complete, Santa admits that he always knew Cub's parents would want him back and takes him home with a special present--this book. It's familiar territory, but elaborated with unusual good humor and imagination; kids are sure to enjoy the multitudinous, brightly colored details on the large, square pages bordered with shiny stars. An inviting book that satisfies to the end, when Cub curls up cozily with his parents and his new treasure. (Picture book. 4-8) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 24 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile; 1st edition (October 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525450629
• ISBN-13: 978-0525450627
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 10.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,285,940 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars the christmas bear, December 19, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Christmas Bear (Paperback)

The Christmas Bear

The Christmas Bear by Henrietta and was one of the best picture books I've ever read! It's cute, elegant, and adorable. This book is a fun filled book that will make you feel good at the end. You will get excited as you feel the joy of the bear on his journey out of his cozy den.
This story is about a curious bear as he wanders outside of his den when suddenly he falls into a bright and warm hole. The North Pole! (Santa's workshop.) Santa thinks the little bear is there to apply for a job. After along day of looking at jobs Santa realizes the bear isn't there to apply for a job. Responsibly Santa takes the little bear home but first gives him a gift he will never forget.
This book was a magnificent book to read. I liked it because it was not hard to read and I truly pictured the little bear as he discovered lots of things about the North Pole. The illustrations were marvelous! I would highly recommend this book for young kids. And probably read this book before any other Christmas tale.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars richly illustrated, feel good story, December 6, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Christmas Bear (Hardcover)

This is a beautifully illustrated, kid friendly book. It helps to point out that though Christmas presents are fun, the true spirit of Christmas is family. The pages of this book are so bright and detailed that a child can spend days pointing out new things.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is my favorite book!, November 30, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Christmas Bear (Paperback)

I am 13 years old. My parents gave me this book as a gift when I was in the 1st grade and year after year I never grow tired of following this books wonderful story and looking at the bright and detailed pictures. This is a beautiful story about a little polar bear who stumbles into Santa's den and ends up helping Santa prepare for Christmas. This book is so much fun to read no matter how old you are! I would reccomend this book to anyone who loves a happy story full of holiday spirit! This is truley a story to read with your family year after year!