Snow Bears [Hardcover]

Martin Waddell (Author), Sarah Fox-Davies (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Acclaimed storyteller Martin Waddell returns with a warm winter’s tale of three little bears who love to pretend - and a Mommy Bear who loves to play along.

"But where are my baby bears?" Mommy Bear asked.
"I don’t know where we are," said the biggest snow bear.

When Mommy Bear comes to look for her baby bears, she finds three snow bears instead. They don’t look quite like her bears, but they do like to slide down the snowy slope and throw snowballs, just like her bears do. . . . Little readers will love being in on the charming snow bear game, illustrated by Sarah Fox-Davies with all the crisp beauty of a snowy day.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Young children will easily associate with the pretend game that three little bears play. When their mother comes outside, the snow-covered cubs tell her that they are "snow bears," and she asks where her babies are. "I don't know where we are," says the biggest one. "We aren't here, Mummy Bear," says the littlest one. So, she frolics with them instead. Eventually, the smallest one gets cold and they all go inside for hot toast, where their covering melts and they reveal that they were just pretending. The story is slight and not particularly original, but youngsters are likely to enjoy the repeated refrain about not having seen Mummy's bears, and the very predictability of the text is reassuring. The color illustrations are pleasant, with large, realistically drawn bears, making the fact that they live in a house rather than in a cave seem somewhat incongruous. However, their activities work equally well for bears or preschoolers, and the large, fuzzy creatures on the snowy background are appealing. This title does not live up to the caliber of the author's Owl Babies or Can't You Sleep Little Bear (both Candlewick, 1992), but the target audience is likely to find it engaging.
Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. The author and the illustrator both indulge in a bit of feigned foolery in this cozy wintertime tale. A mother bear pretends not to recognize her three snow-covered cubs when she comes out to join their play, and they gleefully go along with the game. At last, at the littlest's request, the bears return home--not to a cave, but to a log cabin where they dry off before a fire and warm their bellies with toast. Waddell uses repetition to give the episode a comfortably predictable cast, and except for their slight smiles, the bears in snowy woodland scenes are drawn with shaggy, winning realism. Parental bears and their own little cubs will enjoy sharing this romp. John Peters
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (November 11, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076361906X
• ISBN-13: 978-0763619060
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 9.5 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,804,056 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Martin Waddell is the Hans Christian Andersen Medal winner 2004 and two-time Smarties Prize winner. Among his many books for children are the Little Bear and Farmer Duck series. Martin lives in Newcastle in County Down.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for toddlers, October 18, 2009

By 

sunny swimmer "sunny swimmer" - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Snow Bears (Paperback)

This is the 7th book by this author that we have purchased for our toddler and he loves them all. This is a sweet story about 3 little bears who play in the snow with their mother; they pretend to be "snow bears" and not her three little bears. That is until the littlest one is too cold to play anymore and it is time for them all to head home for nice toast by the fire with their mother. My son loves this story - it's a bedtime favorite.

5.0 out of 5 stars Love his books!, January 7, 2009

By 

Bargain Bethli (Central, CT) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Snow Bears (School & Library Binding)

I love all of Martin's books. They are written with such a calm cadence and a wink of humor. His books were the perfect bedtime story for my youngest child. I have them all and recommended that our local library purchase the ones they were missing. These are keepers. I will save them for my grandchildren.

5.0 out of 5 stars Best bedtime story ever, May 18, 2007

By 

Toni Karovski (Buffalo, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Snow Bears (Hardcover)

I bought this for Christmas for my 5 year old son. This book has become our favorite bed time story. The story is so real, it has games that we can play. The characters come alive and its an easy read. And of course, we have "hot toast by the fire" just like the snow bears. I am ordering other books by Waddell to help my son learn to read.