Little Bear’s father is finally coming home from a long fishing trip. Little Bear is very excited to see him—even if he doesn’t bring the mermaid Little Bear has been hoping for!
Else Holmelund Minarik was the author of the Little Bear series of children's books, which were successful as books, and were also made into a successful children's TV series. The Little Bear books sold more than 6 million copies worldwide.
Else Minarik was also the author of another well-known book, No Fighting, No Biting!
She was born in Denmark, and with her family immigrated to the United States at the age of four. After she graduated from Queens College, City University of New York she became a journalist for the Rome Daily Centennial newspaper and taught first-graders during WWII. Minarik lived in Nottingham, New Hampshire.
3.70 stars (4/10 hearts). First off, Father Bear being a fisherman is pretty cool to me. I don’t know why. I’ve always been fascinated and awed by sailors/fishermen/whalers. Second, I love Mother Bear’s clothes (I know, I know, I said it before, BUT I REALLY DO) and the vinategy things in her home. And the mermaid has always fascinated me. She’s so pretty. ;P
Also, the hiccups story and the mixup about the mermaid was fun to read aloud when I was a kid. :D
I had not heard of these and my Sister-in-law said she loves them as a kid. She got this one from the library and I read it at breakfast this morning to check it out.
This book is sweet and a lot of fun. Bear has a big imagination and can come up with all kinds of things. They are such grand things that everyone around him starts believing them too. I love the octopus. A great book for children who can start to read on their own.
Also, Maurice Sendak who did Where the Wild things are illustrated this book. They are warm and alive with love. It reminds me a little of Beatrix Potter.
A great starter book. I think I want to read all these. You turn around and Boom, a great story falls in your lap and life is amazing.
Father Bear, who was not to be seen in Else Holmelund Minarik's Little Bear, the first of five beginning readers devoted to the childhood adventures of its eponymous ursine hero, appears in this second installment of the series, adding another layer of complexity, and bringing a different tone to the home and family life being depicted. Like its predecessor, there are four short stories here, beginning with Little Bear and Owl, which sees the first mention of the paternal figure, a fisherman who is often out at sea, and draws a comparison between father and son. In the titular Father Bear Comes Home, the long-awaited return actually occurs, and Little Bear, who has been telling all his friends about his father's likely adventures, discovers that some of what he hoped for (the actual return of his father) is fulfilled, while some (the appearance of a little mermaid) is not. Hiccups sees Little Bear suffering from that classic childhood complaint, and, after finding that none of his friends' suggestions for ridding himself of it are effective, being cured by his father's novel approach to the problem. Finally, Little Bear's Mermaid involves a river-side picnic with bear family and friends, and a continued preoccupation with mermaids.
Published in 1959, two years after the first Little Bear book, Father Bear Comes Home is (like all five titles in this series) a treasured memento from my reading childhood. Having recently been prompted to reread Little Bear by The Picture-Book Club to which I belong, where our theme this month is "Classic Picture-Book Characters," I thought I would track down the entire series, and revisit the pleasures of early girlhood. I was bemused to note Father Bear's approach to curing hiccups - a combination of reverse psychology and shouting - here, as I had no memory of it. Other scenes, such as the heartwarming moment when Little Bear is first enfolded in his papa's loving arms, came rushing back to me. As mentioned in my review of Little Bear, these gentle stories perfectly capture the rhythms of child life, and show a delightful sympathy for and understanding of the child perspective. They are frequently humorous, but never snide or condescending. The artwork, contributed by the brilliant Maurice Sendak, is completely charming, highlighting the emotional undercurrents in the text, and drolly accentuating the humor of the characters' interaction.
In sum: a wonderful book, one that, together with its companions, is fully deserving of the accolades it has won. Recommended in the strongest possible terms to all beginning readers!
This book has been in my collection for over twenty years and I do not believe I have ever opened it! The pages were crisp and uncrinkled, the binding tight. Clearly my daughters hadn't discovered it. One reason could be that we assumed this story was included in Little Bear Treasury: Little Bear/ Little Bear's Friend/ Little Bear's Visit. However, that edition only contains three of the Little Bear books. Father Bear Comes Home was one of the excluded books. It was also the second in the series.
The art is wonderful. Sendak's pen & ink work give the story an old fashioned feel, but his characters' modern expressions give the story a timeless quality for me. My favorite is the look of surprise on Little Bear's face when he startles the mermaid. With this book we were given more concrete details about the time period that Little Bear lives in. Although scenes here and there gave the work a turn of the 19th century/early 20th century feel, the story "Little Bear's Mermaid" placed the work closer to the Victorian era, perhaps only a decade or two before where I had originally thought. I have heard it said that these stories are old fashioned, but that would have been true when they were published as well. Parasols and straw hats would be just as out of place among cars with fins as they are compared to today's fashions.
The color palette is again limited. This time White (the paper), black, brown & blue are used. There weren't any illustrations that mingled the brown & blue, but the spot colors were still based on masks made from his watercolors. (See the father's pants on page 36 for a clear example of brush strokes.)
The stories by Else Holmelund Minarik are rich with imagination and whimsey, yet they feel more like a slice of life compared to the first book. Those stories had endings that felt like books within a book as opposed to this one where they felt more like chapters of a larger tale. I felt the ministories worked better in book 1 as opposed to this one. They were stronger on their own. This didn't detract from my enjoyment, however. "Father Bear Comes Home" and "Little Bear's Mermaid" were the favorites here as we read the book the other day. Minarik is a clever writer. Coupled with Sendak's illustrations, Father Bear Comes Home deserves its place in my library.
Father Bear Comes Home time 6/24=15min 6/26=20min (I read twice) Seven words summary = child like father friends enjoy talkink playing Discussion Question Q. Do you want to become like your father or mother? Why? A. Yes, because my mom is very kind and good at cooking! I respect her!
This story is sooo cute! I recall my childhood. I want to read to my child in the future!
I really like this book because it is a series and the illustrations are cool. Little Bear is funny, too. He likes to have fun and he likes to fish. He has friends. If you like funny books, you should read this book! By Elizabeth
Little Bear awaits the return of Father Bear who is away on a boat fishing on the ocean. While he waits he catches a fish for his mother, and tells his friends that Father may bring a mermaid home. Little Bear has a case of the hiccups, and enjoys a picnic by the lake with Mother and Father Bear and searches for a mermaid.
Comments: As per any Little Bear book this is divided into four chapters each containing a stand alone story and yet they all flow together nicely. In the first story. Owl and Little Bear catch a fish for dinner then sit on a big log and pretend they are out on the ocean catching large and unusual fish until Mother finally comes looking for them and her fish. In the second story, Father Bear comes home but Little Bear imagines what if he brought home a mermaid and then as he meets each of his friends they follow along each expecting to meet the mermaid Father has brought home. In the third story Father Bear is quietly reading his paper and Little Bear has the hiccups, all his friends have ideas how to get rid of them but they don't work, then Father Bear roars asking what all the noise is about. Finally, the book comes full circle as Father, Mother and Little Bear go down to the river for a picnic and Little Bear and his friends wonder if there is a mermaid in the river and imagine what she would be like.
An enchanting book in the series, wonderful art by Sendak. My son is very familiar with these characters from the cartoon and has read a couple of the books now and continues to enjoy reading the stories, which are just at the perfect level for his reading abilities at the moment. There are occasional full pages of text but still plenty of half pages of text shared with a picture. A classic!
Continuing on my quest to read and study both the books/illustrations of Sendak and to learn more of the man behind the drawings, I find those that he writes, for the most part are heavy in topic and quite interesting in their story.
This is an early book, written in 1959. It is interesting to note that the cover does not note the term illustrations, rather it states the pictures are by Sendak.
Timely also is the depiction of the bear family, analogous to the American father of the 1950's.
Victorian like in clothing, the bears are dressed in that time frame. Little bear has many friends who iddyllically stroll along with the love of simple things.
When little bear notes he wants to fish just like his father, his animal friends share in his fantasy of the mermaid his father will bring home.
Alas when father returns without a mermaid the animal friends create an image of one they see.
In the second story, Little Bear has the hic ups. Various methods are used to stop this condition. The only thing that eventually works is when Little Bear's father, who is sitting in his chair reading the paper, becomes irate with the interruptions of noise.
As in the 1950's, the father rules the house. He has the right to demand silence. Through fear, Little Bear stops the hic cup. Father bear demands he try to hic cup and behold, Little Bear cannot.
Summary: Father bear goes on a grand fishing adventure! Little bear is so excited for him to come home. While awaiting the arrival of his Papa Bear, he gets some friends together to see if Papa Bear is going to bring a new friend home with him.. a mermaid. However, little bear and his friends are a little disappointed when papa bear comes home with something else and not a mermaid!
Critique: The Little Bear series are always cute and engaging! I felt like the story line was really random. I feel that students would have a difficult time figuring out the main idea of the story, only because there seemed to be some random chapters within the book. Overall, the story was captivating and the illustrations good!
Teaching Prompt: I would ask students to make a text to self connection. I would ask them questions about their parents leaving to go out of town.. if they were brought back any kind of souvenir, and how they felt when they received it!
Craft Elements: I would have students illustrate a movie! Meaning, they would need to summarize the story and draw a picture to represent each scene they saw in their movie. This helps enhance their use of imagination because they will have to draw what it is they are visualizing from the story! It is also a great tool to teach summarizing. I love the idea of using visuals!
Father Bear Comes Home, written by Else Holmelund Minarik tells the story of a bear family: little bear, mother bear, and father bear. Little bear’s dad is away on a boating trip and little bear misses him. One day little bear’s mom asks him to go fishing and bring her back a fish. Little bear and his friend owl go fishing. They use their imagination to pretend they are catching whales and octopus. Mother bear explains to little bear that he is a special fisherman just like father bear. Father bear’s adventure is over and he is returning home. Little bear is under the impression that father bear is going to bring home a mermaid. Will little bear be surprised or disappointed and will his friends join in the fun? Find out by picking up this wonderful book.
This is a perfect book that teaches children how to use their imagination and gives them chances to think outside of the box. Children can learn the importance of missing someone special, friends, and family in this book. Father Bear Comes Home is the perfect book for children 5 to 7 years of age.
CIP: "Describes the adventures of Little Bear in which he goes fishing, has the hiccups, looks for a mermaid, and welcomes Father Bear home from the sea."
Maggie: Four cute interrelated stories following Little Bear's enthusiasm over his father's return from the sea. Beginning readers will take delight in Little Bear's imaginary adventures and may not realize that they are learning in the midst of being entertained. This book includes lots of repetitive text accompanied by Maurice Sendak's delightful illustrations. Recommended for ages 5 to 8.
Synopsis:"Little Bear’s father is finally coming home from a long fishing trip. Little Bear is very excited to see him—even if he doesn’t bring the mermaid Little Bear has been hoping for!"
My Review: I liked this Little Bear book and how he wants to be just like his dad, because what little boy at one point or another doesn't want to be like dad? I also liked that Mother Bear and Father Bear allowed Little Bear's imagination roam this time instead of knocking it down. I did feel like some of the words were more advanced than other early readers or books in this set.
Another fun classic from the Minarik and Sendak duo. I particularly thought the short tale "Hiccups" was cute.
Reading Level: 1st - 3rd grades
Cleanliness: there is a picture of a mermaid with no top covering. Her hair covers anything from being revealed.
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father bear comes home 6/9 45min (read other book: aladdin 20min) 7 word summary little bear family friend three story mermaid
have you ever watched little mermaid from disney movie?? yes, I have. it was really good movie and cute!! I don't think there are mermaid in the world. however, if there were mermaid, I wanna talk!! haha
it was really cute story and really easy to read!! I didn't use dictionary!! I could read with joy!! I think reading with enjoy is important....
It's cute. :) Not much substance, though. Great for beginning readers because the language is simple. Maurice Sendak's illustrations are always a treat. Especially the pictures of Owl. Awwwwww... Little Bear's fascination with mermaids is a little strange to me. Also, the mermaid is described with having blue-green hair, but the pictures show her having brown hair. A teensy-bit weird but nothing to be nitpicky about.
Reading this book brought back many memories. I grew up with reading and watching these characters on TV. I love how nice the characters are towards one another. This book would be great for younger readers who want an easy and short read but with the feel of a simple transitional book. This book has multiple short reads within so the child isn't overloaded with a large transitional book at first.
Another "classic" picture book that was just okay to me. Some of the storylines seemed rather nonsensical (I mean even with expectation that kid stuff doesn't make a ton of sense) and boring. I guess I should define them as non-storylines.
That being said, I realize that this book is more for kids who are learning how to read. I may have Z work on these on her own when she is learning how to read by herself.
At least the pictures were gorgeous. (Kudos to Sendak!)
This story is about a little bear who is waiting for his father to come home from his fishing trip out in the ocean. The little bear and his friends decide that the father is bringing home a mermaid. The father comes home without a mermaid. In the end, the little bear decides that he still might see a mermaid on their family picnic to the river.
This is the second book in the Little Bear series. This book is just as good as the first to me. In this book there are four mini books inside, all about Father Bear and mermaids because Father Bear has been fishing in the ocean and Little Bear believes he is going to bring back a mermaid. This is a very cute story!
Another good "Little Bear" book. Father Bear is coming home from his fishing trip and Little Bear and his friends wonder what he's bringing home with him...could be a mermaid! Little Bear gets the hiccups and Father Bear helps him get rid of them. A good "Daddy and me" type of book but not an 'in your face' book about Daddy's either. A nice read...
Another sweet book from this series -- I do wish there were less gender stuff. It is so so subtle, but I try to pay attention to that, and the book definitely suggests the dad is the worker, and also kinda grouchy. It really is way more subtle than, say, Berenstain Bears though. I love having these books to pass on to brand new readers.
This book has four chapters in it. They are all about Father Bear coming home. He was fishing on the ocean and Little Bear's friends think he brought a mermaid back from the ocean, but it was really seashells. I would recommend this book because it is really funny.