Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? (Brown Bear and Friends) (Paperback)

~ Bill Martin Jr. (Author), Eric Carle (Illustrator) "Polar Bear, Polar Bear, what do you hear?..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

It's been 25 years since these two talented men put their heads together, but the fruit of their latest collaboration is well worth the wait. Continuing in the spirit of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? , their new book incorporates the same clean design and crisp text, but this time the action takes place at the zoo, where elephants, hippos, lions and such are asked what they hear--each answer leads to the animal on the next page, and culminates with a zookeeper who "hears" a pageful of multiracial children disguised as their favorite animals. Carle's characteristically inventive, jewel-toned artwork forms a seamless succession of images that fairly leap off the pages, and educator Martin, ever tuned in to what children like best, has assembled a thoroughly rowdy menagerie--including a fluting flamingo, bellowing walrus and hissing boa constrictor, to name a few--imitations of whose sounds will doubtless soon be echoing in many homes and classrooms. A visually and aurally splashy work, this is a splendid successor to Brown Bear , one that no fan of that popular bruin will want to be without. Ages 2-4.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1-- In a logical sensory follow-up to Martin's and Carle's wildly successful Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (Holt, 1983), this dynamic duo now offers sounds. The polar bear hears a lion roaring, who hears a hippopotamus snorting, who hears a flamingo fluting (!), who hears a zebra braying, and so on through a varied list of animals. At last the zookeeper announces that he hears children roaring, snorting, fluting, etc. While the format is very similar to the previous book, Carle's trademark collages have never been more beautiful. Huge animals fill the double-page spreads, glowing with light-filled colors, sans superflouous background. Teachers will smile with delight when they see this wonderful book, and students are sure to utter the familiar request, "Have you got another one like this one?" --Ruth Semrau, Lovejoy School, Allen, TX
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (November 15, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805023461
• ISBN-13: 978-0805023466
• Product Dimensions: 17.5 x 14.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #67,125 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interactive, March 4, 2004

By	Erika Mitchell (E. Calais, VT USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? (Brown Bear and Friends) (Board book)

This is a fun interactive book about the animals in the zoo and the sounds they make. It's a great vocabulary builder, since it uses words that small kids may not hear every day. The book is quite enjoyable for kids who like animals, and not at all scary. The story may get kids wound up, however, so it might not be the best choice for a bedtime story. The book has about 200 words.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The melody and rythmic tone are great to spark interest., November 19, 1999

By	Kristine C Bono (upstate New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? (Brown Bear and Friends) (Hardcover)

Small children (18 mos-4yrs) will enjoy mimicking the animal sounds and following along with the melody of this tale. The repetition of the story, as with many of Mr. Carle's books, helps my 2-yr old child participate and enjoy the reading experience to the fullest. These are his favorite books.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definite buy, July 4, 2001

By	L. Hayashi "mom of 2" (Honolulu, Hawaii USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? (Brown Bear and Friends) (Board book)

Okay, so you might not be able to make the sounds of the animals (what does a walrus and flamingo really sound like anyway?) but the words they use in this book really help out. With words like "snarling" or "hissing" or "yelping" or trumpeting", it's easy to change your voice and use your body and face to "become" the appropriate animal when you read those words. My 2-year old daughter listened carefully when I read the book for the first time, then took the book and "read" it back to me. Well, she only got the "(animal name), (animal name), what do you see?" as she paged through the book but it only took a few more days before she pretty much memorized all the lines. This only happens with a few books (like The Napping House or Clothesline) so I was pretty surprised. I think it's great for kids to learn other animal names, like peacock and hippopatamus, and other words like for the sounds they make. It gets tiring to always read about puppies and kittens or farm and jungle animals.