Little Bear

Summary

Little Bear is a book of four short stories about a bear cub and his mother, written for children just learning to read. In "What Will Little Bear Wear?" Little Bear comes in from the snow and tells Mother Bear he is cold. She makes him a hat, then a coat, then snow pants, and each time he runs out to play and comes back cold again. At last he asks for a fur coat too. Mother Bear takes away the hat, the coat and the snow pants, and he sees that he already has one: his own fur. Out he goes, warm and happy. In "Birthday Soup" he cannot find Mother Bear on his birthday and decides she has forgotten. With no cake in the house, he cooks a pot of soup from the vegetables in the kitchen for his friends Hen, Duck and Cat, who knock one after another. Just as the soup is ready, Mother Bear walks in carrying a birthday cake; she had never forgotten. In "Little Bear Goes to the Moon" he puts on a space helmet and announces a trip to the moon. Mother Bear objects that he cannot fly, and he answers that birds do. He jumps from a little tree on a little hill, tumbles down, and decides that he has landed on the moon, which looks much like the earth. He walks into a house just like his own, and Mother Bear plays along with the game until he declares that she is his own mother and asks for his lunch. In "Little Bear's Wish" he lies awake wishing to sit on a cloud and fly all around; Mother Bear tells him he cannot have those wishes, but he can have a story, and she tells him about the things he has really done. Maurice Sendak drew the pictures in fine pen and ink with soft color. Harper & Brothers published the book in 1957 as the first title in its I Can Read series.

Top Lessons

• You already have what you need

  Little Bear asks for a hat, a coat and snow pants, and still feels cold. His mother shows him that the warm fur coat he wants was his all along. Children can learn to notice and be thankful for the good gifts they already have before asking for more.

• A mother does not forget

  Little Bear thinks Mother Bear has forgotten his birthday, but she was busy getting his cake. Instead of sulking, he makes soup and welcomes his friends. The story shows a child who keeps being kind while he waits, and a mother whose love was there even when he could not see it.

• Pretending together

  When Little Bear says he has flown to the moon, Mother Bear does not scold him for being silly. She plays along, and then lets him bring the game home. Imagination is a gift, and a wise parent can enjoy it with a child while keeping him close to what is real.

• The best story is your own

  Mother Bear cannot give Little Bear a cloud to ride, but she can tell him a story about the things he has really done. The book ends by turning its own adventures into a bedtime tale, which teaches children that their ordinary days, remembered with love, are worth telling.

Verified Quotes

Medical Lens

No medical content. The only bodily concern is a cub feeling cold in the snow, which is solved by his own fur, and a tumble down a little hill that does him no harm.