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Bear's First Christmas
In the dark of winter, deep in the woods, a lone bear is awakened from his winter sleep by a soft and mysterious sound. Under the stars the bear finds his way step by step through the snowy forest, making friends along his route. Then the bear discovers a place in the woods that glows magically with something he and his friends could never have imagined -- their first Christmas.
Robert Kinerk's inspired story and Jim LaMarche's glimmering illustrations combine in a picture book that captures the joy and spirit of Christmas. Come along with bear and his friends and see the magical light of Bear's First Christmas .
Robert Kinerk's inspired story and Jim LaMarche's glimmering illustrations combine in a picture book that captures the joy and spirit of Christmas. Come along with bear and his friends and see the magical light of Bear's First Christmas .
32 pages, Hardcover
First published October 2, 2007
2 people are currently reading
302 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
December 26, 2019
If the title didn’t say Christmas, I would not guess that this is a Christmas book. Maybe, you could see this as an animal take on Good King Wenceslas. The bear finds these animals in the woods and makes tracks for them to follow. There is a lot of heart in this story and it’s touching, but it’s not christmasy. There is nothing to tip you off it’s Christmas. There is a tiny tree that the light shimmers on, but that’s it.
If I think of this book as a normal book, I really enjoyed it. The artwork played with tone and light and it’s beautiful. The story is about being kind and helping others. It’s an uplifting story.
The nephew thought it was a boring story. He said nothing really happens accept animals walking through the woods in the snow. I asked, didn’t you think it was a story about kindness? He said, Yes, but that’s boring to read about. He gave this 1 star. There you have it.
If I think of this book as a normal book, I really enjoyed it. The artwork played with tone and light and it’s beautiful. The story is about being kind and helping others. It’s an uplifting story.
The nephew thought it was a boring story. He said nothing really happens accept animals walking through the woods in the snow. I asked, didn’t you think it was a story about kindness? He said, Yes, but that’s boring to read about. He gave this 1 star. There you have it.
July 24, 2018
A truly magical book. One of the favourites at our house.
It ought to be renamed again,again,again because it's all I hear from my grandchildren when this book appears. Highly recommended by my grandchildren.
It ought to be renamed again,again,again because it's all I hear from my grandchildren when this book appears. Highly recommended by my grandchildren.
December 19, 2020
Bear passes on hibernating to help out some of his fellow forest creatures, and is rewarded by some unforgettable sights, and more than a few new friends. The book features stunning artwork by Jim LaMarche.
December 1, 2018
A young bear, safely hibernating through his first winter in this rhyming holiday tale, is awakened by a faraway sound, soft and mysterious, and sets out through the snowy landscape to investigate. Coming across a series of animals in need of his aid along the way - a hungry crow with whom he shares his honey; a moose who needs help in cracking the ice in a nearby bog, in order to eat the weeds; a pheasant family whose nest has been destroyed by falling snow - the bear soon has companions, in his quest. When the animals do find the source of the mysterious sound - a cabin in the woods, in which a human family are celebrating Christmas by singing carols, around their decorated tree - they are caught up in the magic of the season, and, returning to the bear's snug lair, see it all around them...
Although I appreciated the message here - that the Christmas spirit is about sharing with one another, and that humble abodes are as fitting a locale for the season, as any other - and enjoyed the gentle, rhyming text, the real star of Bear's First Christmas, for me, was Jim LaMarche's beautiful acrylic and colored pencil artwork. The animals have a soft furry and feathery quality to them, that is very appealing, and the winter landscapes are lovely. It probably helps that I love wintry scenes! I particularly liked the image in which all the animals are gazing in the window at the Christmas tree - just adorable! All in all, a sweet little holiday read, one I would recommend to young animals lovers looking for seasonal stories.
Although I appreciated the message here - that the Christmas spirit is about sharing with one another, and that humble abodes are as fitting a locale for the season, as any other - and enjoyed the gentle, rhyming text, the real star of Bear's First Christmas, for me, was Jim LaMarche's beautiful acrylic and colored pencil artwork. The animals have a soft furry and feathery quality to them, that is very appealing, and the winter landscapes are lovely. It probably helps that I love wintry scenes! I particularly liked the image in which all the animals are gazing in the window at the Christmas tree - just adorable! All in all, a sweet little holiday read, one I would recommend to young animals lovers looking for seasonal stories.
December 7, 2010
Little bear is sleeping through is first winter when he is awakened by a mysterious sound... on his way to investigate, he comes across a crow that is hungry. Bear shares his honeycomb with the crow and they set off together to find the source of the sound. Along the way, bear finds more woodland creatures in need of a helping paw, and they befriend him and follow him to find the magical sound. I won't spoil the surprise but suffice it to say Bear and his friends discover Christmas and find a way to let the spirit of the holiday glow in their own hearts ever after. Kinerk's rhyming text is so lovely and has a wonderful cadence that is at once fun to read and comforting. I am alrady a huge LaMarche fan and his work here is simply beautiful! I fell in love with this warm, gentle story about the peace of giving, the joy of friendship and the magic of Christmas.
December 19, 2010
I loved this book! Two thumbs up! 5 big and bright stars! Gushing praise from me!
So fuzzy and heartwarming. The illustrations are fabulous, just gorgeous. And the story rhyme begs to be read aloud. Both are wonderful and complement each other beautifully.
Bear is over the top good but it didn’t bother me, though I noted it. I loved all the animals. I get why the humans and their tree were there and how they made this a wonderful Christmas book, but it was the animals and natural world that drew me in the most, partly because of the way the animals and the outside scenes were illustrated compared to the humans and the inside scene. Observing the humans will certainly appeal to human readers and listeners, but the animals had the Christmas spirit all on their own. I loved all the animals.
The pictures are among my favorite illustrations in any children’s picture book, and I’ve read many picture books.
This gentle story is fine for read aloud to the youngest child, for children of all ages, and their adults can enjoy it too. It has great appeal for all ages. It’s a lovely book. This would make a wonderful addition to the library of any family with young children, especially families that celebrate Christmas.
So fuzzy and heartwarming. The illustrations are fabulous, just gorgeous. And the story rhyme begs to be read aloud. Both are wonderful and complement each other beautifully.
Bear is over the top good but it didn’t bother me, though I noted it. I loved all the animals. I get why the humans and their tree were there and how they made this a wonderful Christmas book, but it was the animals and natural world that drew me in the most, partly because of the way the animals and the outside scenes were illustrated compared to the humans and the inside scene. Observing the humans will certainly appeal to human readers and listeners, but the animals had the Christmas spirit all on their own. I loved all the animals.
The pictures are among my favorite illustrations in any children’s picture book, and I’ve read many picture books.
This gentle story is fine for read aloud to the youngest child, for children of all ages, and their adults can enjoy it too. It has great appeal for all ages. It’s a lovely book. This would make a wonderful addition to the library of any family with young children, especially families that celebrate Christmas.
March 16, 2020
This is a charming story of a little bear awakened from his long winter's nap by sounds. Leaving his cave, the lonely bear finds friends, some of whom are in need. The bear helps each one who requests it.
While searching for a place to sleep, the animals found a cozy house, with a decorated tree. The animals realized they were seeing their first Christmas!
As always, the illustrations of Jim LaMarche are incredibly detailed. He has a way of capturing expressions on both animal and human subjects. He remains one of my favorite illustrators.
While searching for a place to sleep, the animals found a cozy house, with a decorated tree. The animals realized they were seeing their first Christmas!
As always, the illustrations of Jim LaMarche are incredibly detailed. He has a way of capturing expressions on both animal and human subjects. He remains one of my favorite illustrators.
January 10, 2017
Though I thought it was highly unrealistic that a bear cub would be wandering around on it's own, hibernating by itself, I liked the lines: "The coming of snow could mean only one thing, It meant that the bear had to sleep until spring."
"The bear trekked through woods that grew deeper and deeper, He trekked on a path past a lake's sandy shore..."
You can't use the same word back to back like that, then it becomes redundant. Synonyms need to be found so it doesn't sound the same. Another word could have easily been used instead of saying "trekked" two times.
The bear was really cute though, so he was pleasant to look at and a nice main character. It was sweet how he noticed the little tree growing in front of the cave that was small and brave.
Bear started finding animals that needed help. A crow cawed and he knew it was hungry so he looked for some food, and came back with a honey comb. They came upon a moose trying to scrape the ice to get the weeds in the water, so bear clawed the ice free. They all then found a pheasant and her chicks in their nest which had been ruined, and led them to a new place.
It was wrong how Bear was making a path through the snow for them all to walk through. Moose can get around easily in the snow, and they're bigger than a bear, especially a bear cub, so why would Bear be leading the way?
I can't believe someone writing a book to help children read would write the grammatical error of "more wide." I know it was to rhyme with "inside," but teaching kids to say things the wrong way just for he sake of a rhyme was irresponsible. It should have been wider.
It was cute that all of the animals were looking in the window at the lights and not knowing what they meant.
Then she did it again with "more and more sweet" just to rhyme with "tweet tweet." It should have been sweeter.
It was also irresponsible to have the bear invite the animals to stay until spring came, because they don't hibernate and wouldn't stay the winter inside a cave. Only bears do that.
This was an okay read. I liked that the bear went around helping other animals with whatever they needed, because it inspires people to help others out. I would have liked a stronger grasp of reality though. There wasn't anything to learn about bears except that they hibernate and make a path through the snow. There was no point in them seeing a human's Christmas. That was really random that they even went there, and for some reason that warm feeling the scene gave them was also present when they saw the little tree glowing at night. The tree didn't need to be in there either.
"The bear trekked through woods that grew deeper and deeper, He trekked on a path past a lake's sandy shore..."
You can't use the same word back to back like that, then it becomes redundant. Synonyms need to be found so it doesn't sound the same. Another word could have easily been used instead of saying "trekked" two times.
The bear was really cute though, so he was pleasant to look at and a nice main character. It was sweet how he noticed the little tree growing in front of the cave that was small and brave.
Bear started finding animals that needed help. A crow cawed and he knew it was hungry so he looked for some food, and came back with a honey comb. They came upon a moose trying to scrape the ice to get the weeds in the water, so bear clawed the ice free. They all then found a pheasant and her chicks in their nest which had been ruined, and led them to a new place.
It was wrong how Bear was making a path through the snow for them all to walk through. Moose can get around easily in the snow, and they're bigger than a bear, especially a bear cub, so why would Bear be leading the way?
I can't believe someone writing a book to help children read would write the grammatical error of "more wide." I know it was to rhyme with "inside," but teaching kids to say things the wrong way just for he sake of a rhyme was irresponsible. It should have been wider.
It was cute that all of the animals were looking in the window at the lights and not knowing what they meant.
Then she did it again with "more and more sweet" just to rhyme with "tweet tweet." It should have been sweeter.
It was also irresponsible to have the bear invite the animals to stay until spring came, because they don't hibernate and wouldn't stay the winter inside a cave. Only bears do that.
This was an okay read. I liked that the bear went around helping other animals with whatever they needed, because it inspires people to help others out. I would have liked a stronger grasp of reality though. There wasn't anything to learn about bears except that they hibernate and make a path through the snow. There was no point in them seeing a human's Christmas. That was really random that they even went there, and for some reason that warm feeling the scene gave them was also present when they saw the little tree glowing at night. The tree didn't need to be in there either.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 10, 2017
'It meant that the bear had to sleep until spring.' How cool.
That small bear would not be alone. He'd be with his mom!
I like the page of the mountain.
The crow is getting us off the main story.
The bear brings him honeycomb. How it's winter!!
How can a bear get the weeds out from under the ice, when the moose could use his teeth, paws or antlers.
The pheasants look cute, but the moms eyes are crooked.
The bear is making a path wide enough that the moose could easily follow. Shouldn't it be the other way around?
They're trying to sing, but it's only caw caw and tweet tweet.
The bear looks cute in the cave with his friends.
He says the pheasants can stay with him until spring. Would she have babies during winter? Birds usually hatch in the spring.
But it makes it seem like they're all hibernating until spring.
'They slept, and the tree she'd it's marvelous light
All through the freezing and long winter night.
It continued to glow when the winter was done
And the earth had been touched by the warmth of the sun.'
This was a lil confusing to me.
The tree can't glow all winter. Especially after winter.
It ends with the bear knowing the light never ends. And that all the friends carry a glow in their heart.
This wasn't as good as I thought it would be. It didn't go how I thought. I thought they were celebrating Christmas. Instead he finds animals that need help in the woods and they all find a home in the woods, look through it and then go back to the cave until spring. Wasn't Christmas-y.
I didn't expect this to be rhyming.
That small bear would not be alone. He'd be with his mom!
I like the page of the mountain.
The crow is getting us off the main story.
The bear brings him honeycomb. How it's winter!!
How can a bear get the weeds out from under the ice, when the moose could use his teeth, paws or antlers.
The pheasants look cute, but the moms eyes are crooked.
The bear is making a path wide enough that the moose could easily follow. Shouldn't it be the other way around?
They're trying to sing, but it's only caw caw and tweet tweet.
The bear looks cute in the cave with his friends.
He says the pheasants can stay with him until spring. Would she have babies during winter? Birds usually hatch in the spring.
But it makes it seem like they're all hibernating until spring.
'They slept, and the tree she'd it's marvelous light
All through the freezing and long winter night.
It continued to glow when the winter was done
And the earth had been touched by the warmth of the sun.'
This was a lil confusing to me.
The tree can't glow all winter. Especially after winter.
It ends with the bear knowing the light never ends. And that all the friends carry a glow in their heart.
This wasn't as good as I thought it would be. It didn't go how I thought. I thought they were celebrating Christmas. Instead he finds animals that need help in the woods and they all find a home in the woods, look through it and then go back to the cave until spring. Wasn't Christmas-y.
I didn't expect this to be rhyming.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 5, 2011
This story told in rhyme is an effective book for storytime. The rhythm of the rhyme reminded me of "Twas the Night Before Christmas." I used it with Kindergarten students and they had fun naming the rhyming words, or anticipating and filling in the blanks when I paused at the end of the obvious lines. It was an instructive book for using when teaching rhyming patterns to young children, and of course a nice holiday connection.
December 20, 2023
Holy cow! What a fabulous find for solstice and this time of year. I love the adoration of nature in this book and I love the emphasis on LIGHT. The line, "the light never ends" is a great reminder that we can rely on the sun! It returns daily! That is truly miraculous!
October 7, 2013
Book Title: Bear’s First Christmas by Robert Kinerk
Short Description of the Book: Bear wakes up prematurely and he hears a sound. As he sets out on an adventure to find this sound, he makes many new friends. It is Christmas.
FOCUS: Narrative Features I would Use in a Mini-Lesson:
1 Narrative Structure: Kinerk use a poetic style when writing this book. The story rhymes as it unfolds.
2) Sequence of Events: Kinerk writes a sequence of events which lead to bear making friends, finding the sound, and then going to find a place to sleep.
TEACH: CCSS for Fifth Grade
•CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
◦W.5.3a Orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally.
◦ W.5.3b Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, description, and pacing, to develop experiences and events or show the responses of characters to situations.
◦W.5.3c Use a variety of transitional words, phrases, and clauses to manage the sequence of events.
◦W.5.3d Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely.
◦W.5.3e Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events.
Expected Outcome: I expect the students to be able to recognize a sequence of events story when they read it. Students should be able to write a piece that flows as it shows a sequence of events. The students should use descriptive details that will paint a picture in the mind of the reader.
December 1, 2017
I absolutely feel in love with this book as my almost 3 year old granddaughter and I cuddle up and read it together. She enjoyed listening and looking at the beautiful illustrations and I enjoyed every word of the story. You may not knowtise it if you read it silently, but as you read it outloud you can pick up that you almost 'sing' the story to the tune of "Twas the Night Before Christmas". A little bear finds the 'light' of Christmas and in turn shares it with several wildlife friends; saving them from perishing in the winter snow. They all find a house with a family celebrating the holiday season and wonder what they are celebrating but the 'light' of the season shines through the family and the animals pick up on it and feel that feeling as well. That feeling stays with them all winter as they hibernate then in the Spring they all still remember that specialness and the last page says "And the bear, in new treks, knows the light never ends. It's a knowledge he shares with his wide-roaming friends. For each friend, though he roams from the others apart, Carries with him, inside him, that glow in his heart."
December 15, 2025
Just read this book for the first time and used it with my K, 1st and 2nd graders today. They were spell-bound (though some of them did want to know where the bear's mother was). The rhyming text, the wonderful illustrations and a chance to discuss some things that happen in winter--made this much more than just a Christmas story--but it has the warmth and glow of a Christmas story as well. Lovely.
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It has been many years since I read this sweet gem (2008!)--and I am happy to find it again (2025). I am wond we ring if.this might work for January--when we have returned from break, packages put away, decorations taken down--as a reminder that we can carry that glow year round.
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It has been many years since I read this sweet gem (2008!)--and I am happy to find it again (2025). I am wond we ring if.this might work for January--when we have returned from break, packages put away, decorations taken down--as a reminder that we can carry that glow year round.
October 7, 2008
This book is wonderfully illustrated.I bought it for Carly's first Christmas. We have read it for two years now, and it is a sweet story about a little bear who is wandering through the forest. Along the way he meets many friends. As the bear is looking for his den he and his friends come upon a cabin that has just celebrated Christmas. He shares his den with all of his new friends, where they sleep throughout the rest of the winter.
December 11, 2008
no matter how much i tried to spruce it up (ha ha, get it)...this christmas book wasn't flying at my house. even though the bear is adorable and all, i had to read it in two sittings cuz the girls were bored outta their gourds!
November 2, 2015
The artwork in this is really lovely, and the text has the perfect rhythm for reading aloud. My only qualm is that there's a bit too much emphasis on that Christmasy "glow", and I'm not sure my daughter got it, but she did love the animal friendships in this sweet story.
December 23, 2007
Really sweet childrens story
March 13, 2009
A very cute book about making new friends. I love the Illustrations. They were rendered in acrylic washes and colored pencil on acrylic water color paper.
December 23, 2010
Just OK--nothing extraordinary.
December 12, 2011
Beautiful illustrations accompany this beautiful story!
December 29, 2012
Beautiful, sweet, and gentle. I wanted to hug them all.
December 20, 2013
Loved the illustrations, and the rhyming text, but the story was too long -- I don't think it would hold a childs attention.
December 6, 2016
Beautiful illustrations! Great story! A must have for the holidays.
January 17, 2017
Beautiful illustrations.
October 21, 2018
A lovely and gorgeously illustrated book told in rhyme.
November 9, 2018
Illustrations plus story make this a winning book.
The illustrations drew me to this book but the lyrical poetical writing won me over completely! It just flows so nicely. A keeper of a book.
The illustrations drew me to this book but the lyrical poetical writing won me over completely! It just flows so nicely. A keeper of a book.
December 18, 2018
Gorgeous picture book. Sweet story.
December 23, 2021
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐+❤
GET OUTTA TOWN! This one had us all in our feelings 😂 what a great story, loveeeeeeeee the length of this text and the beautiful, lyrical rhyming. Absolutely one of our favorites and one I would gift to others. Jim LaMarche is king and absolutely knocked it out of the park. We were all enraptured from start to finish. THIS is the book that made me actually explain my rating system of adding the ❤ to my favorites - this was my kiddos' first ever ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐+❤ and I'm so proud 😂🥰😍
GET OUTTA TOWN! This one had us all in our feelings 😂 what a great story, loveeeeeeeee the length of this text and the beautiful, lyrical rhyming. Absolutely one of our favorites and one I would gift to others. Jim LaMarche is king and absolutely knocked it out of the park. We were all enraptured from start to finish. THIS is the book that made me actually explain my rating system of adding the ❤ to my favorites - this was my kiddos' first ever ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐+❤ and I'm so proud 😂🥰😍
December 22, 2021
There are much better picture books to tell this story, which honestly, I'm not sure what it is!!! There's a bear who hibernates, he leaves the cave early, befriends various animals, sees a human family celebrating Christmas & then goes back to the cave. Illustrations are cozy nice, rhyming words effective.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews