The Valentine Bears

by Eve Bunting, Jan Brett (Illustrator)

Mr. and Mrs. Bear have never celebrated St. Valentine's Day because they hibernate during the winter.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Holiday, Animals, Fiction, Love, Romance

32 pages, Paperback

First published September 17, 1984

About the author

Also known as Evelyn Bolton and A.E. Bunting.

Anne Evelyn Bunting, better known as Eve Bunting, is an author with more than 250 books. Her books are diverse in age groups, from picture books to chapter books, and topic, ranging from Thanksgiving to riots in Los Angeles. Eve Bunting has won several awards for her works.

Bunting went to school in Ireland and grew up with storytelling. In Ireland, “There used to be Shanachies… the shanachie was a storyteller who went from house to house telling his tales of ghosts and fairies, of old Irish heroes and battles still to be won. Maybe I’m a bit of a Shanchie myself, telling stories to anyone who will listen.” This storytelling began as an inspiration for Bunting and continues with her work.

In 1958, Bunting moved to the United States with her husband and three children. A few years later, Bunting enrolled in a community college writing course. She felt the desire to write about her heritage. Bunting has taught writing classes at UCLA. She now lives in Pasadena, California.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a sweet valentines story. A old bear couple hibernate through the winter and this year, Mrs. Bear has decided to get up early and celebrate Valentine’s day with her sweetie. She gets everything ready and then she tries to wake up Mr. Bear. He pretends not to get up and surprises her.

They have a wonderful day and then go back to bed until March. It’s tender and sweet. The artwork is detailed pencil work with some red color thrown in. There is also some yellow color in to make it pop. It’s a nice contrast. I’ve seen Jan Brett work with Eve Bunting several times before she was on her own.

The niece thought this was really cute and she gave this 4 stars. The nephew liked that Mr. Bear surprised Mrs Bear and the ice water spilled all over her. He gave this 4 stars.

[Shainlock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh I love this book! It is so sweet and I loved when my mom brought it home for me. It was unexpected and came from a book fair book order. The two bears are so cute and fuzzy and you really feel the love in here.
Ever since I have seen this valentine on the front when I was little, I loved giving out hearts. I gave my grandmother one that said “I Love You”. I, uh, supposedly moved it around from her to my grandpa if one of them made me mad. Ahem.
But yes, this book is so sweet, it just might rub off.

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Getting up early (five weeks early!) to get a special party ready for your significant other -- that's real love!

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my absolute favorite Valetine book! Mr. and Mrs. Bear have never celebrated a Valentine's Day together because, of course, they are usually hibernating during the holiday. Mrs. Bear sets her alarm clock for February 14th so that they bears don't miss it this year. It is fun to watch Mrs. Bear hustle and bustle around the den getting everything ready for Mr. Bear before finally waking him up to celebrate with her. This is a very sweet and charming story!

[Darcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. and Mrs. Bear have never spent a Valentine's Day together because they're always hibernating through the winter. In this book, Mrs. Bear secretly sets their alarm clock for February 14 so they can spend a special day together, complete with handmade cards and favorite foods. I was thoroughly charmed by their love for each other and the pleasant day they spent together before settling down again to sleep until spring. -M

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mr. and Mrs. Bear were a devoted couple, but because their kind slept through the winter, they had never celebrated a Valentine's Day together. Determined to change this, Mrs. Bear set her alarm for the big day, and got up to make preparations: setting out summer honey and Crispy Critters, which Mr. Bear loved, and getting out the cards she had made before they began hibernating. But then, preparations all done, she found it very difficult to wake Mr. Bear...

The fourth seasonal holiday title I have read from author Eve Bunting and illustrator Jan Brett, following upon their Scary, Scary Halloween , St. Patrick's Day in the Morning and The Mother's Day Mice , this sweet book pairs a delightful, heartwarming story with adorable illustrations. I was simply charmed by the conclusion, in which Mr. Bear turns out to have had Valentine's Day plans of his own! Recommended to picture-book readers looking for sweet Valentine's Day stories.

[Dayna · Rating 5 out of 5]

My little guy said “that is so sweet! I want to cry!” 😆☺️💕🥹

[Christina/ The Blog for Teachers, Readers, & Life! · Rating 4 out of 5]

6) The Valentine Bears Written by: Eve Bunting & Pictures by: Jann Brett
Ages: 7-10 Grades: Second Grade- Fifth Grade
The Valentine Bears is a humorous story about two married bears. This is another oldie but goodie. Although bears hibernate in the winter, Mrs. Bear has decided that this year she and Mr. Bear are going to celebrate Valentine’s Day properly. But all Mr. Bear wants to do is continue sleeping. Mrs. Bear goes to great lengths to make the day special. Will she be able to rouse Mr. Bear to enjoy the day?

Please see the full post with Valentine's Day activities for kids 1-10 years-old
https://www.teacher-librarian-forlife...

[Steve Holden · Rating 4 out of 5]

At Miami University, during my very first field experience work in a classroom, a student gave me a gift during Valentine's Day - this book, with a note inside. This was in 2004. I still have the copy in good condition and have used it as a read aloud to every class of my own telling the story.

It makes this book, in terms of Valentine's Day books, stand out as extra special for me. This is a sweet tale too. It's easy and quick to read - and the message conveyed is simple for students to pick up on. I'll continue sharing this one for many classes to come!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

These bears must be newlyweds. lol And nine months later a little bear is born....

Joking aside, this book is sweet. Since it is not currently Valentine's Day, we talked about hibernation. Plus the book shows that bears eat bugs, so we talked about that. (Although I have to admit that I have no idea whether bears eat bugs or not. I thought it was fish???)

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute story about two bears who wake themselves up from hibernation to celebrate Valentines day with each other. I never heard the tape, just read the story which does show the true love the bears have for each other.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I re-read this with my preschool-age children today. I think this is my favorite Valentine's story that I've come across. It celebrates the warm, enduring love between husband and wife.

I guess I have one other Valentine favorite- "Froggy's First Kiss."

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book to read around Valentine's day. This is a sweet story about how mother bear sets her alarm to wake up from hibernation, so she can plan some special things for father bear. Great illustrations!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I forgot how much I loved this story as a child until I read it to my girls last night! Such a sweet story about a bear couple that never shared a Valentine's Day together due to hibernation.

[kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kids always love to hear this story. It surprises every time!

[Teri · Rating 5 out of 5]

So adorable! Two hibernating bears wake up on Valentine's Day to celebrate together;) Love this one!

[Jessica Pixie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a beautifully illustrated book, and I have so many memories reading it as a child.

[Betsy Cypress · Rating 5 out of 5]

So sweet and creative and fun. We all loved this one!

[Stella Schaefer-Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mr. Bear is kind of a dick

[Yolanda Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Jan Brett illustrations make this book. The story is mediocre, but the pictures elevate it to the next level.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh! How fun and sweet! Add this to your Valentine’s reading list.

Ages: 3 - 8

Cleanliness: nothing to note.

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[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books that I remember from my childhood although I cannot quite place who read it to me. And now I have read it to husband as we sat browsing the kids' section in a bookstore.

This is quite a simple and loving story about choosing time to celebrate with your significant other even if it means interrupting your own schedule. As a result even though it is directed for children this can also make for a simplistic yet enjoyable read for adults.

The writing is very easy to understand and will be great for young readers. Even the included poems will be fun for them.

And what is best about this particular book is the simple yet wonderfully done pictures with a very basic color scheme. Although in many cases this would be a disappointment the lack of helps to make the message stand out even stronger to readers while tying the book to Valentine's Day.

All in all it is a cute and adorable book that will be a treasure for any romantic of heart no matter their age.

[S. J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely little story about two hibernating bears that wake up early in order to celebrate Valentine's Day together. This is a very sweet book, where they each give the other things they truly appreciate while celebrating together for the first time. What is interesting about this is the idea that they make the time to do despite their natural inclinations. This makes it at once sweet and shows how important Valentine's Day should be to couples.

The illustrations are done by Jan Brett, whose work is well known within Children's Literature. They are detailed, beautiful, and very sweet.

All in all, a great book that one will want to read beyond the holiday in February.

[Randie D. Camp, M.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very cute story about two hibernating bears who celebrate Valentine's Day for the first time with poems, summer honey, and "yummy" critters. The illustrations are pencil drawings which are for the most part black and white except for the bright red and a little bit of pale yellow. The story line is fun to follow and even young readers will pick up on just how special this day is for the Valentine Bears.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this sweet story about a bear couple who wake up from hibernation to share Valentine's Day together!

Used in Valentine storytime 2/11/2016 - this was maybe a bit too long for the group I had today. I probably should have skipped just a bit, but I got their attention back by talking about the pictures and pointing things out instead.

[Sydney Hall]

"The Valentine Bears" is a cute story about Mr. and Mrs. Bear coming out of hibernation to celebrate Valentines Day. Children really enjoy reading stories about animals and I think that this one would be a good choice for a Valentines Day read aloud. I also liked how the illustrations in this book looked hand drawn and watercolors.

[Meredith Pocius · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought the book was a really good book to read to children because it it shows how much the female bear loved Mr bear by making him 2 valentines and by getting the summer time honey ready for the winter season.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. and Mrs. Bear have missed Valentine's Day all the years they've been together, because they are still in hibernation at that time. This year, Mrs. Bear set her alarm for February 14. She had plans to make Valentine's Day special this year, if Mr. Bear would wake up.

[June · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had great success with this story when I got older children for storytime. Now I get a younger crowd and should keep this in mind for any school groups

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had a perfect mix of sentimentality and laughs. The kids loved it, but it was not another book about having a vday party at school, which was a welcomed change.