Old Bear [Hardcover]

Kevin Henkes (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 2 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Snug and warm, curled and furry, Old Bear sleeps.

Red, orange, and brown leaves fly through the air, and it is snowing hard. Old Bear doesn't notice.

Old Bear is dreaming about being a cub again. He is dreaming about the beauty of the world. He is dreaming of everything he loves about the forest that is his home.

Turn the page and you will see!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. PreSchool-K—Henkes cleverly begins his story on the front jacket. Against a backdrop of red leaves and drifting snowflakes, a large and endearing molasses-colored bear, defined by sturdy dark brown lines, strides across the page. His journey continues through the opening spreads: it is obvious that this creature knows exactly where he is heading. By the time the story actually begins, Old Bear has found his den and lies sound asleep, oblivious to the swirl of winter around him. Dreams comfort him: once more a cub and surrounded by the colors of spring, he naps in a giant pink crocus. His dreams turn to summer where a daisy sun shines in the sky, leaves appear as butterflies, and clouds rain tasty blueberries. Old Bear dreams on through the seasons. Then, one day he awakens, stretches, and heads out into the real world where he is met with flowering trees, butterflies and tulips, and a glistening lake. Now, Old Bear is part of the wonder. As he did in Kitten's First Full Moon, Henkes has created a thoroughly delightful character filled with curiosity and sweetness and placed him in a simple tale that unfolds with a natural, rhythmical pace. And to fill out his cyclical story, the artist provides autumnal front endpapers and contrasting vernal back endpapers. Opportunities to introduce the seasons, colors, and animal hibernation abound. Old Bear will enrapture young listeners for years to come.—Barbara Elleman, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, MA
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From Booklist

*Starred Review* Henkes returns to the artistic style of his Caldecott Medal winner, Kitten’s First Full Moon (2004), and A Good Day (2007) in another picture-book celebration of simple, pure joy. All winter long, while snow falls outside his den, Old Bear lies silent and still in a deep sleep. In his dreams, though, he’s an active explorer who roams the woods, savoring each season’s pleasures: spring’s blooms, summer’s berries, fall’s fiery colors, and winter’s blazing stars. When Old Bear finally wakes, he finds a glorious and very real spring world. As in so many of Henkes’ books, nothing is superfluous. Every word, line, color choice, and composition element feels essential and fits beautifully into a common theme. The circle of the seasons, so clearly illustrated in the exuberant images, is echoed throughout the book, even in the text’s cyclical rhythms: “Old Bear slept and dreamed, dreamed and slept.” The elemental words and graceful pacing make this a perfect read-aloud for preschoolers. They’ll want to linger over the scenes of Old Bear’s whimsical dreams, rendered in bold outlines and color washes that move with the seasons from pastel spring through icy-blue winter. Young children already know what Old Bear discovers: the lines between imagined and real worlds are blurry, and each place is filled with wonderment. --Gillian Engberg

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 2 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books (August 19, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061552054
• ISBN-13: 978-0061552052
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 10.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #236,284 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kevin Henkes is the creator of many distinguished books for children, including Kitten's First Full Moon (winner of the Caldecott Medal), Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, and Chrysanthemum. His novels for young people include Olive's Ocean (a Newbery Honor Book) and Bird Lake Moon.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Father Bear, January 16, 2009

By 

Catherine W. Hughes (Cambridge, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Old Bear (Hardcover)

Snug and warm, Old Bear sleeps for winter. Dreaming of spring and being a cub again, he travels through a daisy sun summer and yellow and orange autumn to an ice covered winter. Old Bear sleeps and dreams only to melt away the winter into spring. He wakes up to a beautiful spring day, as if no time has passed. This father bear story will be loved by 2-5-year-old children the whole year long.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Old bear, October 2, 2008

By 

S. D. Ward "cobragirl" (New Orleans, LA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Old Bear (Hardcover)

I loved this book. Simple idea but richly presented.You could imagine being there with OLD BEAR as he slept and dreamed. Recommended.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This lovely, snuggly book would be a perfect read on a cold winter's night!, July 5, 2009

By 

D. Fowler "Dragonfly77" (Vermont) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Old Bear (Hardcover)

The brown old bear was snuggled up by the time the snow began to swirl outside his den. The last of the oak and maple leaves began to fall with the first flakes. He started to dream of spring when the lupines, daffodils and tulips sprang from the earth and began to bloom. The butterflies were flitting around and he dreamed that "he was a cub again." Everything was so oversized that he was able to curl up in a crocus. Next he "dreamed that it was summer" and the "sun was a daisy and the leaves were butterflies." His smiley face looked up to the clouds that were sprinkling blueberries. What a dream!

Autumn soon arrived in his dream. The colors of autumn surrounded him and "even the birds and the fish and the water" had those tints. Next he dreamed of winter where everything around him "was covered in ice." The sky was dotted with "stars of all colors." He was still fast asleep, snuggled in his den and protected from the elements. He turned this way and that and that way and this. Yawn! The old bear was waking up. What would he see when he came out of his den?

This is one of those lovely, snuggly books that are wonderful to read on a cold winter's night when everyone is anxious for spring to arrive. The storyline and text mesh perfectly and await little hands that will eagerly turn the pages for you when you read. This book and a stuffed brown bear to snuggle up with would be a perfect gift!