We're Going on a Bear Hunt

What kind of children’s book list would be complete if I didn’t include a book with a bear in it? So, I’m going with a classic.

I have Flip Flop Flip Flopped through these pages of fun sounds over and over again through the years. I love this story for its simplicity and heart about a family going on a nature walk. As a father of two girls, I’m indebted to Rosen because I’ve employed his bear hunt chant on countless occasions to get my girls excited about exploring our own woods and trails. And the ending on this one… show more.

This is such a great book to read aloud but even better to act out. I remember sunny days in the garden with my children where we would read the book and travel through the pretend swishy grass and through the mud in search of the bear, and how when we found the bear, we would run all the way back home laughing the whole time.

As a performance storyteller myself, I love books that play with language and allow you to ‘ham it up’ when reading aloud. The way this book builds suspense is such fun! We know we’re going to meet a bear – a big one – and we keep repeating that we’re not scared, but actually we are, or at least the children listening are. We have to travel through fields, rivers, woods, and even a snowstorm to reach the bear’s hidey-hole. Will he be there? Of course, he will, and when we do meet him the only thing to do is… show more.

This is my favourite picture book; one I gift to the parents of every newborn I know. In this classic adventure story, a family of children, their dog, and their dad set off one day on a bear hunt. 

In beautifully evoked words and pictures, the story shows the family traipsing through all kinds of landscapes and weather conditions accompanied by the refrain “We’re going on a bear hunt, we’re going to catch a big one.” The sounds and sensations of the natural world are brilliantly captured, and there’s a lesson here. The path gets tough and the story emphasizes… show more.

A Classic! Beautiful illustrations with text that just sings with delightful sounds. This is a fun book to act out. It is quite the adventure. Mud, snow, dark forests, and a bear! And children get to be brave in a safe way. I enjoy growing grass seeds, making mud, and even gathering snow to bring back into the classroom all in relation to this book.

We’re Going on a Bear Hunt is a rhyming picture book adventure (based on the song) beloved by teachers and children for its energetic romp over, under, around, and through woods and fields in search of a bear. Helen Oxenbury’s illustrations elevate the text to a whole other level, creating a reading experience that is as activity-based as it gets. Any child growing up without this book experience will miss out on the discovery of how fun and engaging a book can feel.