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Little Bear #5
A Kiss for Little Bear
Little Bear is so pleased with the picture he has drawn that he asks Hen to take it to his grandmother. Grandmother is so happy with it that she sends him back a thank-you kiss.
How the kiss is passed from Grandmother, to Hen, to Cat, to Little Skunk, to a pretty girl skunk, and back to Little Skunk, and how eventually it comes again to Hen and finally to Little Bear will delight children just learning to read.
Else Holmelund Minarik and Maurice Sendak, the creators of the first Little Bear book for beginning readers, once again blend their extraordinary talents in a tender story filled with warmth and laughter.
This beloved classic is an ALA Notable Children's Book and a New York Times Best Illustrated Book.
How the kiss is passed from Grandmother, to Hen, to Cat, to Little Skunk, to a pretty girl skunk, and back to Little Skunk, and how eventually it comes again to Hen and finally to Little Bear will delight children just learning to read.
Else Holmelund Minarik and Maurice Sendak, the creators of the first Little Bear book for beginning readers, once again blend their extraordinary talents in a tender story filled with warmth and laughter.
This beloved classic is an ALA Notable Children's Book and a New York Times Best Illustrated Book.
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1968
13 people are currently reading
1644 people want to read
About the author
Else Holmelund Minarik
143 books152 followersElse 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 211 reviews
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February 17, 2021[Book #26 for my grad school Children's Lit class]
October 2, 2018
99.9% I read this book as a small boy - how nice to find an old friend.
February 27, 2012
Love this book! I hadn't read any of the Little Bear books in ages (maybe since I was a kid?) but now I want to read the entire series. I just loved the fun, the humor, the easy flow of the story and the beautiful illustrations that are at once so accurate in portraying animals looking like real animals yet also with the most telling expressions. Oh, gosh! The exasperated expressions on the animals just cracked me up. This is at once a very sweet, very funny story that can be appreciated on many levels. I think children will enjoy seeing how the "traveling kiss" unfolds, and parents will have an extra knowing nod to other aspects, like the speedy romance, and the interesting illustration Bear draws for his grandmother ;-) No wonder the Little Bear series is a classic. Highly recommended.
January 16, 2020
First published in 1968, this fifth and final early reader devoted to the childhood adventures of Little Bear opens as its eponymous ursine hero is painting a picture - one depicting a monster who looks quite a bit like one of the Wild Things from illustrator Maurice Sendak's own classic picture-book,
Where the Wild Things Are
- for his grandmother. Giving the painting into the keeping of his friend Hen, Little Bear asks her to take it to Grandmother Bear, which she faithfully does, receiving a kiss for Little Bear in return. Slightly less faithful in this second delivery, Hen gives the kiss to Frog, who in turn gives it to Cat, setting off a chain that eventually leads back to: Little Bear!
Unlike the four previous books in this series - Little Bear , Father Bear Comes Home , Little Bear's Friend , and Little Bear's Visit - which each contained four brief stories or chapters, A Kiss for Little Bear contains one single story. It is a sweet tale, highlighting the love between grandson and grandmother, and concluding with an amusing wedding that is brought about by the passing of Little Bear's kiss. Sendak's artwork here is top-notch, with many little expressive details. I loved some of the facial expressions, from Hen's much-put-upon disgruntlement at being made a messenger, to Skunk's outraged visage when confronted with Little Bear kissing his bride! All in all, another lovely Little Bear book, one I would recommend to all beginning readers, as well as to fans of Maurice Sendak's work.
Unlike the four previous books in this series - Little Bear , Father Bear Comes Home , Little Bear's Friend , and Little Bear's Visit - which each contained four brief stories or chapters, A Kiss for Little Bear contains one single story. It is a sweet tale, highlighting the love between grandson and grandmother, and concluding with an amusing wedding that is brought about by the passing of Little Bear's kiss. Sendak's artwork here is top-notch, with many little expressive details. I loved some of the facial expressions, from Hen's much-put-upon disgruntlement at being made a messenger, to Skunk's outraged visage when confronted with Little Bear kissing his bride! All in all, another lovely Little Bear book, one I would recommend to all beginning readers, as well as to fans of Maurice Sendak's work.
March 27, 2009
My favorite of the "Little Bear" series, it's actually the least sentimental despite the title. Follow the kiss's journey from Little Bear's grandmother back to Little Bear, as the animals are ultimately too lazy or distracted to do it themselves. Hen is downright hilarious: "Too much kissing!" The drawings are surprisingly straightforward (yet still marvelously detailed) for Maurice Sendak. Youngsters will love the realistic animals, possibly even kissing them when appropriate. (My son LOVES kissing.)
January 7, 2018
This was the first book I ever read aloud, age two, in the bookshop. I still have that very copy. I just reread it today and it's still so adorable and sweet. Highly recommended for any human regardless of age. :)
April 3, 2021
The text of this Little Bear book is quite a bit shorter than others in the series. The drawings also have much more hatch work, making them come across as fuller and they take up more space on the page. The twist in the story had me cracking up, I LOVED it! Minarik is really able to capture the nuance of children's emotions around heady topics, in this case, romance and attraction.
November 4, 2020
Un libro para niños precioso, las ilustraciones son una maravilla
December 29, 2022
My son seems to have fallen in love with the Little Bear Books. There was one in a box set we purchased last year and since that time he has bought himself a few more and read the rest from the library. But of all the little bear books this is the one he picks up most often to read, after as an extra after doing our normal reading for the day. But my son has shown no interest in other books by Else Holmelund Minarik when I have pointed them out at the library or the book store.
Unlike book 1 in this series this is a single story. As opposed to four separate stories each in their own chapter. But we also meet so many other characters that are not in the other stories. My son loves that the kiss keeps getting passed back and forth until it gets from Grandma to Little Bear. He also loved that Hen said no to a return kiss because it is so complicated. But the kiss does lead to a wedding and Little Bear and all his friends get dressed up for the occasion.
Any book that my children like to read over and over again is a winner in my books, especially since we are now at the point where my son can read this whole book to be. The little bear stories are really fun. These books are geared for young readers ages 4-8 buy can be enjoyed by younger and older readers. In fact I have read this even with my tween and she thought the story was fun.
The illustrations by Sendak are amazing and my son loves going over them again and again. They are good wholesome stories. I can really appreciate the sentiment in these books. I remember having read these book to my youngest brother many year ago and they are just as entertaining today.
A wonderful book in a great series!
Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other little bear books.
Unlike book 1 in this series this is a single story. As opposed to four separate stories each in their own chapter. But we also meet so many other characters that are not in the other stories. My son loves that the kiss keeps getting passed back and forth until it gets from Grandma to Little Bear. He also loved that Hen said no to a return kiss because it is so complicated. But the kiss does lead to a wedding and Little Bear and all his friends get dressed up for the occasion.
Any book that my children like to read over and over again is a winner in my books, especially since we are now at the point where my son can read this whole book to be. The little bear stories are really fun. These books are geared for young readers ages 4-8 buy can be enjoyed by younger and older readers. In fact I have read this even with my tween and she thought the story was fun.
The illustrations by Sendak are amazing and my son loves going over them again and again. They are good wholesome stories. I can really appreciate the sentiment in these books. I remember having read these book to my youngest brother many year ago and they are just as entertaining today.
A wonderful book in a great series!
Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other little bear books.
March 30, 2019
I ran across this book recently. It was part of a BookCrossing book ring box I created back in 2003. I passed it around a group of book friends. The friends read the books in the box with their children, signed the books, and mailed them on to the next family. Happy memories.
February 10, 2014
Baby bear made a picture for his grandmother and the skunks married each other because they loved each other so much and the boy skunk was supposed to be giving the picture to Little Bear's grandmother. There were really nice pictures in the book.
January 18, 2018
Reading with my nephew again. Of course he loved it!
August 18, 2020
The art is delightful with a soft color palette and animals that look very much like animals even though they behave like humans. I suspect that any child who likes Sendak's Wild Things will like the picture little bear draws for his grandmother.
The story doesn't flow as smoothly as some of the other books in this series, and the wedding at the end could have been eliminated. I do like the idea of
The story doesn't flow as smoothly as some of the other books in this series, and the wedding at the end could have been eliminated. I do like the idea of
March 8, 2024
I re-read all the Little Bear books with my 4-year-old granddaughter when she came to my house for a 3-night grancation. I fell in love with them all over again, Else Holmelund Minarik's lovely storytelling, and Maurice Sendak's wonderful illustrations.
February 3, 2019
Cute book for beginner readers.... this book had my 6 yr old laughing.
June 22, 2019
LOVE this book. Illustrations are fantastic. So is the story.
January 29, 2023
Barrett’s favorite- mine too.
September 20, 2018
Loved reading this aloud page by page as our 7 yr old translated by reading his English copy. 🐾
January 6, 2017
My son seems to have fallen in love with the Little Bear Books. There was one in a box set we purchased last year and since that time he has bought himself a few more and read the rest from the library. But of all the little bear books this is the one he picks up most often to read, after as an extra after doing our normal reading for the day. But my son has shown no interest in other books by Else Holmelund Minarik when I have pointed them out at the library or the book store.
Unlike book 1 in this series this is a single story. As opposed to four separate stories each in their own chapter. But we also meet so many other characters that are not in the other stories. My son loves that the kiss keeps getting passed back and forth until it gets from Grandma to Little Bear. He also loved that Hen said no to a return kiss because it is so complicated. But the kiss does lead to a wedding and Little Bear and all his friends get dressed up for the occasion.
Any book that my children like to read over and over again is a winner in my books, especially since we are now at the point where my son can read this whole book to be. The little bear stories are really fun. These books are geared for young readers ages 4-8 buy can be enjoyed by younger and older readers. In fact I have read this even with my tween and she thought the story was fun.
The illustrations by Sendak are amazing and my son loves going over them again and again. They are good wholesome stories. I can really appreciate the sentiment in these books. I remember having read these book to my youngest brother many year ago and they are just as entertaining today.
A wonderful book in a great series!
Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other little bear books.
Unlike book 1 in this series this is a single story. As opposed to four separate stories each in their own chapter. But we also meet so many other characters that are not in the other stories. My son loves that the kiss keeps getting passed back and forth until it gets from Grandma to Little Bear. He also loved that Hen said no to a return kiss because it is so complicated. But the kiss does lead to a wedding and Little Bear and all his friends get dressed up for the occasion.
Any book that my children like to read over and over again is a winner in my books, especially since we are now at the point where my son can read this whole book to be. The little bear stories are really fun. These books are geared for young readers ages 4-8 buy can be enjoyed by younger and older readers. In fact I have read this even with my tween and she thought the story was fun.
The illustrations by Sendak are amazing and my son loves going over them again and again. They are good wholesome stories. I can really appreciate the sentiment in these books. I remember having read these book to my youngest brother many year ago and they are just as entertaining today.
A wonderful book in a great series!
Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other little bear books.
July 18, 2013
This book was cool. I like the telephone style communication of the kiss. The skunks was a little much for a children's book but they ended the story nicely by allowing them to get married. This is a must read to teach literacy in K-2. The words are small and the pictures really support retrieval, decoding and comprehension. Thank You Else Homelund Minarik.
The author employed a strong sense of community in the book. Every character felt obliged to partake in delivering the kiss. I think this book allowed new readers multiple points for reentry and supporting details to fill in gaps. I understood that a kiss was being delivered even if I happened to miss the skunk section. I think that this book helps children understand in a playful way what kisses are. They can be from a loved family member or from a future spouse. I do not think this book is too much. I think the author did a great job of putting a game of telephone in a creative way. I would suggest that the author work on the print. It was a little bit odd. I assume this was due to the book coming out in 1968. When I write a book, I will make sure to incorporate one eww moment. Even though the kissing was awkward, it engages young readers. I say as long as they are reading, go with it.
The author employed a strong sense of community in the book. Every character felt obliged to partake in delivering the kiss. I think this book allowed new readers multiple points for reentry and supporting details to fill in gaps. I understood that a kiss was being delivered even if I happened to miss the skunk section. I think that this book helps children understand in a playful way what kisses are. They can be from a loved family member or from a future spouse. I do not think this book is too much. I think the author did a great job of putting a game of telephone in a creative way. I would suggest that the author work on the print. It was a little bit odd. I assume this was due to the book coming out in 1968. When I write a book, I will make sure to incorporate one eww moment. Even though the kissing was awkward, it engages young readers. I say as long as they are reading, go with it.
August 21, 2015
Although this falls into the Beginning Reader genre there is little enough text per page that it can be used successfully in a story time for pre-school age children. It is a delightful circular story, meaning it ends where it begins.
Little Bear paints a picture and sends it with Hen to give to his grandmother. Grandmother enjoys it so much that she gives Hen a kiss to take to Little Bear. The kiss goes from Hen to Frog to Cat to Skunk. The kiss goes back and forth between two skunks several times until Hen comes along and reminds them the kiss is from Grandmother and belongs to Little Bear. Hen wants to know which of the two skunks now has the kiss. She captures the kiss and takes it right to Little Bear. Little Bear is happy with the kiss and wishes to send one back to Grandmother but this time Hen declines. The skunks decide to get married and have a lovely wedding, at which Little Bear is the best man.
Little Bear paints a picture and sends it with Hen to give to his grandmother. Grandmother enjoys it so much that she gives Hen a kiss to take to Little Bear. The kiss goes from Hen to Frog to Cat to Skunk. The kiss goes back and forth between two skunks several times until Hen comes along and reminds them the kiss is from Grandmother and belongs to Little Bear. Hen wants to know which of the two skunks now has the kiss. She captures the kiss and takes it right to Little Bear. Little Bear is happy with the kiss and wishes to send one back to Grandmother but this time Hen declines. The skunks decide to get married and have a lovely wedding, at which Little Bear is the best man.
December 1, 2013
This book begins with Little Bear deciding to create a wonderful painting for his grandmother and wants to ask his friend, Hen, to deliver it to her. When Hen drops off the painting to the grandmother, she asks Hen to give Little Bear and kiss from her. While Hen is returning back, she ends up giving the kiss to frog that then passes the kiss to can and all the friends are passing on the kiss from grandmother. The kiss finally reaches Little Bear and the reader finds out that during the passing of kisses, two skunks fall in love and get married. The theme of giving can be easily seen in the plot of this book.
Due to the amount of events that occur in this book, it would be helpful for young readers to try and recall the events as an educational activity. Being able to comprehend and understand the series of event in a story is an important component in reading.
Due to the amount of events that occur in this book, it would be helpful for young readers to try and recall the events as an educational activity. Being able to comprehend and understand the series of event in a story is an important component in reading.
August 22, 2015
This is by far my favorite book in the entire Little Bear series. From the inside joke of Where the Wild Things Are art to the hen scolding the skunks for kissing too much while Little Bear looks on, the book was simply a delight. I enjoyed the skillful ink renderings, the (once again) creative use of a limited palette of spot colors, and the writing. Else Holmelund Minarik & Maurice Sendak were at their best for their final bow. Even the stage call at the end of the book didn't feel overly sentimental like the previous book did. I just loved it and highly recommend the entire series.
July 10, 2011
I had no idea this was part of a series. (My library is lacking in a few areas.) Now that I know I'll have to order the first 4 books since this is apparently the 5th.
We both really liked this little story and I loved the fact that 90% of the words are words Julia already knows how to read and spell.
Enough people have gone over the description of the book so I won't venture there. I will say it's a great book for younger kids learning to read - there are a lot of easy words like 'it', 'is', 'am', 'him', etc. And there are a few slightly tougher words thrown in also. No words that I would say are actually hard for a beginner.
The story itself is super cute and got some giggles throughout us reading.
We both really liked this little story and I loved the fact that 90% of the words are words Julia already knows how to read and spell.
Enough people have gone over the description of the book so I won't venture there. I will say it's a great book for younger kids learning to read - there are a lot of easy words like 'it', 'is', 'am', 'him', etc. And there are a few slightly tougher words thrown in also. No words that I would say are actually hard for a beginner.
The story itself is super cute and got some giggles throughout us reading.
January 23, 2016
I read these books with my mom when I was small and they're just as wonderful now as they were 25 years ago. Little Bear is just unbearably sweet and I can now truly appreciate Mother Bear as well who demonstrates patience and ironic detachment when it comes to the antics of her Little Bear. The illustrations by Maurice Sendak are beautiful and truly make the stories come to life. I've read a whole bunch of these stories to my son, and he enjoys them, but not as much as I do I think. There's a nostalgia in them that beckons me. My son seems to like them well enough, but it could be that they'll be better for slightly older children. Maybe 5-6.
October 6, 2009
This is a cute story in the "Little Bear" series. Little Bear draws a picture for his grandmother and uses Hen to deliver it. She is then sent to deliver a kiss to Little bear and the kiss is transferred from one creature to another until it finally gets to Little Bear. The ending is a little disjointed, but it's a sweet book to read aloud with children. I kiss them each time the kiss is passed along.
June 18, 2018
This book is from 1968, and it is a little odd. The pictures are quite odd, too. Little bear draws a frightening monster picture for grandmother and has hen take it to her. From there grandmother gives hen a kiss to send back to little bear, but he finds many different animals on his way who keep transferring the kiss to one another. Just the whole thing is a bit odd. Not one of my faves.
February 10, 2017
This is one of my favourite books. Grandmother's kiss for Little Bear has quite an adventure as it is passed around the animals. Little Skunk has the best time with it, and it leads to an abrupt and adorable change of pace at the story's finish.
March 13, 2017
Basically a story of friendship and little bears determination to make something for his friends.
September 10, 2021
LOVE LOVE LOVE Little Bear, and this story is so sweet! The little skunk wedding at the end made our day <3
Displaying 1 - 30 of 211 reviews