Little Bear

The book came without the CD. Very disappointing.

These four stories about Little Bear and his friends are a charming introduction to the world of reading for beginners. Little Bear is a sweet child to his mother and father and a good friend to Duck, Hen and Cat. Minarik's simple narrative will be easy enough for young readers, and Sendak's illustrations will hold their attention. The four stories are: What Will Little Bear Wear?, Birthday Soup, Little Bear Goes to the Moon and Little Bear's Wish.A soothing alternative to ninjas and power rangers.

The lovely and sweet stories easily capture the attention of my three-year old daughter (who has English as her second language). The stories are beautifully read out, with wonderful background music. Almost every night my daughter and I listen to several Little Bear stories before she goes to bed. We will often discuss the stories afterwards. This is the closest and most cherishable moment between us. The unfortunate thing is that she is most unwilling to turn off the cassette player, which somehow often delay her time for bed.

Else Holmelund Minarik's classic "Little Bear" books first appeared in 1957 (along with illustrations by the inimitable Maurice Sendak), and they remain in print today because they are pretty much perfect in every way. Collected in this volume are three separate books: "Little Bear," "Little Bear's Friend," and "Little Bear's Visit."My children are eight and five, but they still enjoy sitting down occasionally and revisiting Little Bear. Throughout the books, Little Bear's mother is presented as the all-knowing, all-loving, kindly parent figure (you can imagine how much any parent secretly enjoys that!). The illustrations perfectly complement the calm, simple tone taken by Minarik in her tales. They present Little Bear as the typical kid: by turns curious, goofy, sad, frustrated, content, sleepy, joyful. We see the illogic involved in so many of the rites of passage of childhood without ever feeling that Little Bear is being made fun of. No, this is a protected, dear, secure universe concocted magically by Minarik and Sendak, and it's a pleasure to visit it every time you open the book.

I recently found that at 42 I still remember the story of Little Bear's birthday soup and his trip to the moon (especially the illustrations) from my own childhood. It's wonderful reading them to my son.These are stories that stay with you always.

The Little Bear books are the favorites in our house. Our three year old son and his ten month old sister actually sit and listen while they are being read these books. Mom and dad love them also. We choose these books first over all the others in our bookcase.