Bears. We have read so many bear books. And I have loved almost all of them.
There is something about bears in picture books — the combination of wild and gentle, enormous and tender — that makes them perfect read-aloud companions for little ones. They can be scary and safe at the same time. They can be funny. They can be lonely. They can be exactly what a child needs.
Here are some of our all-time favorites:
Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey. A perfect book. A mother and a little girl picking blueberries, a mother bear and her cub doing the same, and a gentle mix-up that has delighted children for seventy years. The illustrations are simple and warm and the rhythm of the text is exactly right for reading aloud.
Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson. A hibernating bear sleeps through a party in his own cave. The rhymes are irresistible and kids will chant along before you've finished the first reading.
We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen. Not technically a bear book — the bear barely appears — but it belongs on this list. The repetition, the rhythm, the building tension, the wonderful release at the end. Read it with full dramatic commitment and your kids will ask for it again immediately.
Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik, illustrated by Maurice Sendak. Quiet and warm and perfect for the very young. Little Bear and his mother have a relationship that feels completely real. These are the books that make children feel safe.
Read them all. Read them twice. Read them until the pages fall out.