Bear's Day Out

Bear #1

by Michael Rosen, Adrian Reynolds (Illustrator)

Bear is content to spend his days singing to himself and wading playfully through the water in his cave by the sea. Then one day, he hears the noises of the city traveling on the wind, and his curiosity to experience big city life compels him to visit. At first, the sights and smells are new and exciting. But when the hustle and bustle of the people, the markets, and the traffic all become too much for Bear, it will take a little bit of kindness from strangers to get him back home again. Michael Rosen's rhythmic text and Adrian Reynolds's lively illustrations make this a perfect read-aloud for story time.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Juvenile

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 2, 2007

About the author

Michael Rosen, a recent British Children’s Laureate, has written many acclaimed books for children, including WE'RE GOING ON A BEAR HUNT, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury, and I’M NUMBER ONE and THIS IS OUR HOUSE, both illustrated by Bob Graham. Michael Rosen lives in London.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Nicola · Rating 1 out of 5]

My first thought when reading it was that it was like a bad version of 'We're going on a bear hunt'; it's only now writing the review that I discover it's the same author. It doesn't have the charm of Bear Hunt and the text is simply annoying - the repetition (and changing between question and exclamation) simply don't make sense for the narrative.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

TLDR: Since it's not as good as WGonBH, it suffers by comparison.

I'm not as fond of the illustrations here (though there's nothing wrong with them), and the pattern of the rhyme seems a bit off. But more critically, how would I explain to my little ones why these little children are roaming the city alone, and staying overnight in a bear's cave at the beach without their parents? The suspension of disbelief seems, to me, too great.

Most of all, this is missing that breathless run back home and the poignant denouement of the classic. Read We're Going on a Bear Hunt out loud. Note how fun it is to read the trip out casually, adventurously... and then the trip back fast, faster, until "under the covers" &etc. Note the brilliant art by Helen Oxenbury. That book is brilliant.

This one is skippable.

[Phannie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute pictures. But didn't love the book. The questions in the book confused my toddlers

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book, by the author of We're Going on a Bear Hunt, has the same call-and-response type format. The repetition is nice for the kiddos and the illustrations are good, but it just wasn't tell-everyone-about-it great.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

What I enjoyed the most was the cadence.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is full of onomatopeia. If you needed to disucss this form of figurative language and how to use it in reading or writing, this would be a good book for it. Additionally, as an activity to go along with this book, you could cut out sounds and have students say those sounds when it is their turn. It would make the reading a little more engaging for those students that have difficulty paying attention.

[Emmaline MacBeath · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very appropriately rated for ages 1-3. It is meant for very little children to follow along as the bear takes a trip. There are many opportunity to make sounds as you read through the story. The story is repetitive which is good for the little ones. The bear is adorable and non-threatening. The illustrations are colorful and not overly complicated.
Overall is this is a simple and cute read that would be great for a night time story for your children up to age 4.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't get that this book was possibly intended to be read like "We're Going on a Bear Hunt" until after we finished it, so maybe we missed out on some of the fun. The rhymes and the silly words still made for an enjoyable read.

[Ingrid · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the follow-up to Going on A Bear Hunt, but it is really disappointing. Maybe it was the lack of the Oxenbury illustrations or the awkward rhythm, but I do not plan on buying this OR using it for Storytime.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute follow-up to We're Going on a Bear Hunt - would be such a fun read-along with a group. LOVE the illustrations.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read at drop-in story time on 10/5/12: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...

Read at Preschool Story Time on 11/16/16: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...

[Jayna · Rating 4 out of 5]

All ages

Bear lives all alone, but one day he hears far away noises from the city and decides to wander into the city. He had his adventures, but then he got lost. Luckily a group of kids find the bear and lead him back into the wild to his home.

This would be fun for a bear themed story time.

[Kate Busch]

This is a great book to teach onomonopia. It is a simple book that I would use for early grades. Bears Day Out is a fun book that you could include a lot of activites to go along with. I would definitely recommend this book to be used in the classroom.

[Arica Newcom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bear's Day Out is a fun book that allows for audience participation. The book has fun little saying and tongue twisters that can be said by students while the teacher is reading aloud. Student involvement allows the story to come to life and bring a new element to the read aloud.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy enough to memorize and tell without the book; lots of fun sound effects. That said, the illustrations are so bright that it's fun to read aloud as well.

[Tricia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like the book based upon illustrations and storyline alone...but the repetitive text was a struggle to get through. I think a savvy storyteller could pull it off...but not for me, sadly.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This will be fun for bear storytime!