Merry Christmas: Big Hungry Bear! [Hardcover]

Audrey Wood (Author), Don Wood (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up

The long-awaited sequel to Don & Audrey Wood's mega-bestselling, award-winning classic THE BIG HUNGRY BEAR (1984), which has sold more than 18 million copies in hardcover worldwide.

Painted in acrylics using the same technique and the same paper as the bestseller THE LITTLE MOUSE, THE RED RIPE STRAWBERRY AND THE BIG HUNGRY BEAR, this delightful picture book brings back the same beloved characters, the timid Little Mouse and the mysterious unseen Big Hungry Bear, and ends with a wonderful Christmas surprise--the promise of a new friendship between a tiny mouse and a big bear who doesn't seem quite so scary after all.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Husband and wife team Don and Audrey Wood follow up on their international bestseller The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear with a yuletide message about giving.

The little Mouse has holed up in his cozy home for Christmas, under long, shiny garlands and a gigantic, glowing tree. And what a huge pile of gifts he's got! ("My goodness! What a lot of presents. Are they all for you?") But then he starts to worry about "the big, hungry Bear in the cold, dark cave at the top of the hill" and how he'd do anything to get a hold of Mouse's presents. ("Ohhh, how that Bear loves Christmas presents!") So it's out with the padlock, boards over the door, and tacks all over the floor. Good old Mouse, though, has a last- minute change of heart and realizes that maybe he should be sharing his presents--not locking them up--so he heads off to visit his ursine friend.

The appeal of this series may continue to be a mystery to some grownups, but the fun, repetitive text and playful acrylics will likely win over any kid--even if we never get to see that big, hungry Bear at all. (Baby to preschool) --Paul Hughes

From Publishers Weekly

This holiday sequel to The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear juxtaposes its very simple language with expressive, comically exaggerated paintings. As little Mouse sets up his tree and the presents beneath, an unseen narrator reminds him about his neighbor, "the big, hungry Bear." In the illustrations, Mouse responds by anxiously setting up padlocks and barricades, fearfully guarding his heap of gifts. But, hearing that the bear never gets any presents, he has a change of heart. The pleasure of this book isn't in novelty or surprise but in the Woods' utterly confident delivery. A solid choice for the very young, with a subtly rendered lesson about sharing. Ages 2-up.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Blue Sky Press (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439320925
• ISBN-13: 978-0439320924
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 10 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #514,798 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Christmas book about sharing and caring!, November 18, 2002

By 

History_of_Art_Geek (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Merry Christmas: Big Hungry Bear! (Hardcover)

As a HUGE fan of "The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear," I was delighted to discover the Woods have teamed up to write and illustrate "Merry Christmas, BIG HUNGRY BEAR!"

Several weeks ago I stopped at my local bookstore for one of my monthly visits, and while perusing the "New and Notable" section I recognized the illustrated mouse standing among a pile of Christmas packages. I snatched the book off the shelf faster than I could read the title, and immediately became engrossed! As in the first book, the illustrations in "Merry Christmas BIG HUNGRY BEAR!" are OUTSTANDING, in addition, the Woods have maintained the same cleaver writing style with the reader narrating the story. Children of all ages will enjoy this delightful Christmas tale about sharing and caring among unlikely friends.

The story actually begins on the title page; the beautifully illustrated two-page spread shows Little Mouse returning home with a sled full of packages. He lives in a hollow tree somewhere cold, because it has recently snowed and he's wearing a red coat with cap, and black snow boots. The narration begins on the next page, "Hello, little Mouse. I see you're ready for Christmas." The mouse, now tucked away in his cozy, little home is placing presents around a brilliantly decorated Christmas tree that's already loaded with gifts.

Turn the page, "My goodness! What a lot of presents. Are they all for you?" Now we see a proud little mouse presenting his mountain of gifts to the reader. Over the next few pages the narrator (that's you) reminds the Little Mouse about the Big, Hungry Bear who's all alone in the dark cave at the top of the hill. Little Mouse boards up his door, padlocks the gifts and places tacks all over the floor in an attempt to protect his belongings. Then, the mouse hears that the Big, Hungry Bear cries every Christmas because he never receives Christmas presents, not even from Santa Claus. Little Mouse is sad for his lonely neighbor, and decides to share Christmas with the Big, Hungry Bear. Much to Mouse's surprise the Big, Hungry Bear reciprocates the sentiment.

The very talented husband and wife team have done it again! This enchanting Christmas tale will have you immediately hooked on this adorable little mouse and his unlikely friend. The illustrations are very expressive for easy comprehension, and the melodic text captivates even the youngest listener. This hardbound book measures approximately 10" x 10" x 1½" and contains 40 beautifully rendered pages. One-year and up.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another happy triump from our favorite mouse, November 20, 2002

By 

bensmomma "bensmomma" (Ann Arbor, Michigan) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Merry Christmas: Big Hungry Bear! (Hardcover)

If you are looking for a nice Christmas-y story to read to your pre-schooler, you couldn't do better than this one. The message is one of joy and sharing, even between little mouse and Big Hungry Bear.

If you are also a fan of the Woods' book, "The Little Mouse, the Big Hungry Bear, and the Red Ripe Strawberry" you will again be charmed by the Woods' animated and detailed drawings and happy-ending story in this sequel.

The little mouse lives in a mousehole furnished down to the last detail: there's a Christmas tree, loaves of bred in the kitchen, and a big stack of tacks by the door in case the Big Hungry Bear comes to steal the mouse's Christmas presents. But the mouse has a change of heart when he realizes the Big Hungry Bear never gets any presents of his own.

There's JUST the right amount of text per page to keep the story flowing, there's JUST the right blend of detail, sweetness, and humor in the drawings, there's JUST the right amount of excitement for, say, a 2 to 4 year old (it's not quite scary because the bear is never depicted, and actually proves to be a good and generous friend to the mouse).

For fans of the "Strawberry" book, note the strawberry-shaped bookends over the mouse's bed on the last page of the book. It's that kind of thoughtful touch that makes the Woods' books so great.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my all time favorite christmas books, August 24, 2005

By 

D. Lane "Book lover" (austin, tx United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Merry Christmas: Big Hungry Bear! (Hardcover)

We meet the liitle mouse again (first book is The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear) This time the little mouse finds the big hunger bear has no friends and no presents on christmas. The little mouse dresses as Santa and brings gifts to the big hungry bear. This a wonderfully delightful book. The pictures are so beautiful. This a great book!