We're Going on a Bear Hunt

Winner of the Nestle Smarties Book Prize, 1989

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Michael Rosen

Rosen has written more than 140 books for children and adults -- everything from poetry to graphic novels to non-fiction. His first published writing was a play, Backbone, performed in the late 1960s by the Royal Court Theatre in London. After University, Rosen worked for the BBC writing documentaries, radio plays, and children's programmes. His first children's book, Mind Your Own Business, was published in 1974

Rosen responds to his fan email but has paused recently while he recovered from coronavirus.  Read his blogs or about his life at Michael Rosen. There is also a YouTube channel, Kids' Poems and Stories with Michael Rosen, where he reads/performs his work -- Chocolate Cake is my favorite!

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World Context

Life is challenging just now for most of us and, as much as we attempt to shield children from adult concerns, they are intuitive or observant enough to know parents or teachers have some concerns about what is happening around them. Teaching and modeling perseverance of action to reach a goal is important for a child's emotional development.

And laying the foundation for this lesson can be done is small, enjoyable doses!

We can see the grass, river, mud, etc. as metaphors for real-life obstacles to reaching a goal, but children just want to chant and move to get to the bear and back home again! We've got to go through it together is a good phrase to help children stick with a difficult task.

"We're going on a bear hunt.
We're going to catch a big one today.
What a beautiful day!
We're not scared.

Uh-uh! Grass!
Long wavy grass.
We can't go over it.
We can't go under it.

Oh no!
We've got to go through it!

Swishy swashy!
Swishy swashy!
Swishy swashy!"

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Helen Oxenbury

Parents everywhere can thank Oxenbury for board books! She studied theatre set design at University and began illustrating children's books when she became a mother. When her youngest daughter was ill, Oxenbury's set design experience prompted her to develop a sturdy book design more appealing to toddlers in size, shape, and durability. In 1985 she published three board books for babies: I Can, I Hear, and I See. 

Of the dozens of books Oxenbury has authored and illustrated my personal favorite is The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig -- the picture of the wolves and the pig dancing the tarantella in the middle of a field of flowers creates a lovely sense of joy in my heart.

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Synopsis

Rosen and Oxenbury adapted the American folk song Goin' On a Bear Hunt which is an adaptation of an even earlier folk song Going' On a Lion Hunt.  In the book children go in search of a bear by going through tall grass, a river, mud, a dark forest and a snow storm to reach a bear cave.

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Learning Connections

The story covers so many skills and concepts, it is a great teaching book. Acting out the story or going on your own bear hunt/obstacle course employs the five senses and reinforces direction vocabulary. Explore the descriptive words by asking children to give you an opposite to "a deep cold river!" Or begin math with the foundation of sequencing - help children to practice the order of events in the story.

There are many, many ideas on how to use this story as a teaching tool, but here are a few to get you started.

• Toddler Sensory Play Bin, Childhood 101
• Preschool Sound Activity, Reading Confetti
• Coding Activity: We're Going on a Bear Hunt Algorithm, JDaniels4 Mom

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Ages: 3 - 6; Preschool - Kindergarten; 40 pages. Adapted folk-song hunting for a bear.

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