Customer Reviews

The Little Bear Treasury

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Else Minarik's Little Bear is a gentle soul -- a bear cub who is a loving son to his parents, an affectionate charge to his grandparents and a good friend to Owl, Cat, Hen, Duck and Emily, the little girl who visits in the summer. The stories are filled with quiet humor, affection and imagination as Little Bear and his friends celebrate birthdays, play games, meet new friends and explore their neighborhood. Your young child will love these stories.

The book itself is a great value. Cover art lies directly on a sturdy binding, and this volume contains the complete contents of three books: Little Bear, Little Bear's Friend and Little Bear's Visit. That's twelve stories, with charming illustrations by Maurice Sendak.

Lovely book, terrific value.

Love the text & the Sendak illustrations! So many texts try to teach manners by examples of bad manners. I'd much rather expose my 2-1/2 year-old son to books where the characters behave with sensitivity toward others. I remembered this from my childhood, and was not disappointed when I revisited it. For the same purpose, I also like A.A.Milne (Winnie the Pooh) and Jocelyn's "What do you say, dear" (which is more didatic, but the humorous tone & wild illustrations more than make up for it). Obviously, there's more to Little Bear (and the Winnie the Pooh stories) than sensitivity to others, but the mannerliness of the characters and the great illustrations are a big plus for me.

The stories in this book are quite charming and enjoyable for the parents as well as children. It IS repetitive for new readers though. I understand why, but since I'm reading these to a 3 year old, I sometimes cut out the repetitive working sometimes. Goblin Story is my son's favorite. It's one of his favorite series of stories along with Curious George and the Frog and Toad Collection (which he likes even more than this collection).

I grew up reading and loving this book. My three children count this book as one of their favorites; they loved to insert themselves into the story. I wore out several copies with frequent readings. Now I am getting a copy for the next generation. They are also requesting frequent readings! This classic book is warm, affirming, and radiates love. The simple language tells an affirming story that resonates, depicting nurturing parents and a safe and accepting community. Sendak's simple illustrations are well matched to the text. I am dismayed to find that such a classic is becoming more difficult to find, as it is not as frequently reprinted as it used to be.

My little 19 month-old daughter loves this book so much that I have had to tape some pages and the binding together. She wants us to read this book to her several times a day and she sometimes "reads" the book herself. The author does a great job in telling wonderful stories using words that kids can read easily.

Else Minarik's Little Bear is a gentle soul -- a bear cub who is a loving son to his parents, an affectionate charge to his grandparents and a good friend to Owl, Cat, Hen, Duck and Emily, the little girl who visits in the summer. The stories are filled with quiet humor, affection and imagination as Little Bear and his friends celebrate birthdays, play games, meet new friends and explore their neighborhood. Your young child will love these stories.

The book itself is a great value. Cover art lies directly on a sturdy binding, and this volume contains the complete contents of three books: Little Bear, Little Bear's Friend and Little Bear's Visit. That's twelve stories, with charming illustrations by Maurice Sendak.

Lovely book, terrific value.

My 2 1/2 year old asks for these stories every night right now. The stories are mighty fine - if sort of retro - (mother bear is always baking cakes while father bear is off working) but in this case, I'm willing to overlook it because the tone is very sweet. This edition is a bit awkward - the pages are rather small and scrunched together. Still, a good buy.