We're Going on a Bear Hunt » (1ST)

Michael Rosen is an award-winning author and anthologist of books for young readers, including SHAKESPEARE'S ROMEO AND JULIET, illustrated by Jane Ray, and SHAKESPEARE: HIS WORK AND HIS WORLD, illustrated by Robert Ingpen, which was a SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL Best Book of the Year and one of New York Public Library's 100 Best Children's Books of the Year. In 1997 he received the Eleanor Farjeon Award for service to children's literature. Michael Rosen lives in London.

A brave family's exploration of various landscapes is now available as a classic board book.

Publishers Weekly

A father and his four children--a toddler, a preschool boy and two older girls--go on the traditional bear hunt based on the old camp chant: ``We're going to catch a big one. / What a beautiful day! / We're not scared. / Oh-oh! 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!'' The family skids down a grassy slope, swishes across a river, sludges through mud and, of course, finally sees the bear, who chases them all back to their home. It's a fantastic journey--was it real or imagined?--with the family's actions (and interaction) adding to the trip a goodnatured, jolly mood. The design of the oversized volume alternates black-and-white drawings with gorgeous full-color watercolor paintings, which Oxenbury uses to wonderful effect. Readers accustomed to her board books will find a different style here, of puddled colors and sweeps of light and shadow. The scale of the pictures and the ease with which the text can be shouted aloud make this ideal for families or groups to share. Ages 4-9. (Sept.)