The Best Christmas Ever

by Chih-Yuan Chen

Christmas at the Bear family household is slim this year, but Mother Bear and Father Bear create holiday spirit by adorning their home with decorations sewn from outgrown clothes and a tree assembled from gathered branches dusted with flour. Little Bear worries whether Santa will come and ultimately proves to be the most resourceful to ensure that gifts are under the tree. On Christmas day everyone has a present—a mended kite for Brother; a once-missing umbrella for Sister; a favorite old hat for Father; and, for Mother, a long-lost button that has been conspicuously missing from her red dress. This charming tale demonstrates that even the smallest person can give big gifts, requiring only love and ingenuity.

Genres: Christmas, Picture Books, Holiday, Childrens, Animals, Family, Fiction

48 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2006

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'M NOT CRYING; YOU'RE CRYING...

So good. This kids picture books get me choked up!

[Erin Phelps · Rating 5 out of 5]

if i could give this book 6 stars, i would. it is completely lovely, and every time i read it, i tear up. there is as much unsaid as there is spoken in this book. the illustrations are simple and pretty and soft.

the narrative: the family has had a tough year and this time there's no money for christmas. they go on with their simple celebration anyway and are surprised to wake up with gifts under the tree from "toddler christmas."

if you've ever felt like you wanted to give more than you could, this is the book for you.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Father Bear has lost his job. Santa comes anyway, bringing things the family has lost during the year. Best part: The 3 R's of recycling. Ages 5-10.

(Oh, and don't forget to look closely at the illustrations in this one...)

[Andi · Rating 5 out of 5]

We found this at the library this week & read it last night. It is one of the sweetest books I've read in a long time. Beautiful story & adorable illustrations. Everyone should have a copy of this book.

[N · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Business was bad for Little Bear's father this year and he was unable to find work. There isn't much money left. Christmas is almost here...." heart-is-melting

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

sweet book liked the art work and the story of how a little person saves christmas and that it is about the memories, not the stuff

[FM Family · Rating 5 out of 5]

How have I not reviewed this yet? My 3.5 year old is obsessed with this book. Which is honestly surprising because the illustration style is unassuming and not very colourful. But I think she really liked the idea of the little kid saving the day, and seeing all the characters so excited about Christmas, especially right after celebrating it herself. A sweet story that centers a working-class family without pitying them, and drills home the idea that christmas doesn't have to be a materialist extravaganza to be meaningful. I felt like to some degree the point was a bit hammered home, but it seemed to have worked really well for my kid, so I'm not complaining!

[Anna-Karin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Björns pappa har blivit av med jobbet och har inte råd att köpa julklappar till familjen. Men på julafton ligger ändå flera paket under granen - med saker som varit borttappade, men behövda och älskade. Såsom en knapp till favoritklänningen, ett älsklingsparaply eller en flygande drake som varit sönder men nu är lagad och kan lekas med igen. Vilken glädje att återfå dem!
En fin saga som tar avstånd från konsumtion i juletid på ett smart sätt. Boken ger inga pekpinnar, utan fungerar som en tankeställare. Väldigt bra!

[Mene:) · Rating 5 out of 5]

¡¡QUE LIBRO TAN BONITOOO!!
Literal me recordó al corto especial de Navidad de Mickey Mouse cuando él y Minnie se intercambian regalos de navidad con un gran significado sentimental.
Es lo que pasa en este libro. Literal se habla de cómo los osos no necesitaron gran cosa para pasar una gran Navidad, ya que los regalos que recibieron eran de un gran valor sentimental.
Es un libro corto pero muy muy lindo.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Will Christmas and Santa arrive at Little Bear’s House this year, Dad doesn’t have a job and there is enough money for food. A beautiful title showing the the gift of love at Christmas. An unusual and satisfying ending. A number of visual clues in the subdued illustrations. This title was a pleasant surprise.

[Victoria Moon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book would make a good read aloud because it teaches students about how little things can really brighten someone's day. In this book, the family was a little low on money so the Christmas gifts were very simple, but each person in the family loved them. They were very little but they brightened up their day a lot.

[May Wong · Rating 4 out of 5]

也許生活在「後物質主義」時代的你和我，已覺醒節日慶祝已不再停留在熱鬧派對吃喝活動和交換禮物，而是更重視個人身心靈的安頓和整全，與及人與大自然、環境和社會的互動關係。我們可嘗試用以下繪本生動細膩的描述，將這複雜的概念用簡單方法向小朋友傳遞：

一個不能沒有禮物的日子
作者：陳致元 (和英出版社)
故事介紹：聖誕節快到了，但是爸爸的工作不遂順，媽媽亦表示家庭經濟情況捉襟見肘，大家在這種環境下如何到過聖誕呢？
作者沒有提供明確的答案，但他在每一頁的故事細節留下線索，邀請讀者用敏銳的觀察力去發現玄機。作者的構圖和調色充滿柔和的溫度，故事趣味盎然，只要細心閱讀，便會明白作者的心思；其實禮物是一種我們對別人關懷的表示，如果你關心身邊人，可以有多種方法。試想想：你發現住在隔壁的朋友和父母鬧翻了，你可以做甚麼去表達關心，讓他們修補關係？你發現居住的社區設施受到破壞，可以用節日裝飾去美化嗎？

[Sofía Castell · Rating 5 out of 5]

LA magia de la Navidad en un librito maravilloso.

[Cristina Gallardo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un cuento con una enseñanza tan tremenda que te emociona al máximo. Gracias a mi amiga Silvia G. Guirado por recomendármelo. Maravilloso para grandes y pequeños.

[lula · Rating 3 out of 5]

cualquier cosa cuenta para el challenge de goodreads!!

[Jere. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Re tiernoo, me encanta.

[gyandam28ny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Que lindos, realmente creo que seria bueno que todos les leyeran este libro a los pequeños, no siempre pueden llegar cosas nuevas, y eso no tiene por qué doler

[Danica Midlil · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book up when I saw it on display at my local library branch. The cover art is quiet, lonely and subdued in contrast to the title, so I was intrigued.
This book is deals with realistic and timely issues with grace, hope, and love.
"The year had been tough for Little Bear's father. His business had failed and he couldn't find work. There was just enough money left to feed the family."
Even though the words of the story sound SO SAD and heartbreaking, the reader can see that Little Bear is smiling and holding his daddy's hand. The next page shows that the two of them stopped to make smiling mud "snow-men" on their way home. The little snowman is looking up adoringly at his daddy snow-man. The book is filled with gentle touches to make a magical balance between story and illustrations. Masterful job.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was published a few years ago but I just discovered it at the library. It is a sweetly simple picture book about a family who may not have Christmas gifts because Father Bear has been out of work and there is not enough money to buy both gifts and food. I couldn’t figure out myself exactly what happened (a good mystery for little ones), but they did manage to have some gifts and have the best Christmas ever! The story holds some nice surprises and the illustrations are simple and gorgeous, with what seems to be collage, along with the color, subdued and calming. It’s a lovely picture book for young children.

[Edward Creter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This whimsical Christmas tale from a Chinese kids' author is a blessing in every sense of the word, and I never thought that the Chinese celebrated Christmas, or wrote a Christmas book this good (no offense to the Chinese, but I was in a restrictive church environ wherein I was warned with the congregation about the Chinese, Japanese and gay people...THEY LIED! I may never like being a Christian again.) This book revolves around a family of bears who celebrate Christmas with love and devotion to family. A simple yet profound and moving tribute to the Holiday.

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

The bear family has had a hard year, and there won't be any Christmas presents. Still, Father scouts the sidewalks for sticks to make a small tree, Mother makes a stew with a fish that Father caught, and each child quietly accepts the truth. What a surprise, then, to see a gift for each family member under the tree on Christmas morning! It's a mystery ... but only if you haven't been watching carefully.

This understated, heart-warming story is brimming with kindness and resourcefulness. And keep an eye on the littlest bear, sparkling with a gleeful secret.

[Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a season full of glitter and sparkles and color and noise and bigger is better and why not have more? (which is, of course, can be fun and festive and awesome)it was nice to spend a few quiet minutes with "Toddler Christmas" in his peaceful book. He has such a purely beautiful spirit and the blissed out look on his face on the last page is something I think we all would like to attain - but few of us go about getting in the right way. Lovely, lovely book.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love that the family in this book has such a lovely Christmas morning in spite of the fact that the father bear has been out of work and there's no money to spend. Such a simple story to serve as a reminder that it really is the thought behind a gift that counts and lots of shopping and consuming isn't necessary.

[Jussay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A touching book about a bear family who have fallen on hard times and cannot afford to buy gifts for Christmas.

[M Murphy]

Great story

[Carolyn]

Pay special attention to all the illustrations, from one endpaper to the last.

[Burbank Library Children's Department · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet, quiet holiday tale of a family who doesn't have a lot of money to spend on Christmas but has plenty of love to share.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually sniffled when I read this beautiful story of Christmas and family during tough economic times. A must read!

themes: Christmas, family, love, resilience

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute book that shows that Christmas isn't necessarily all about what's new but appreciating what you already have.

[Alissa Faust · Rating 4 out of 5]

This shows that sometimes the best gifts are the ones you already have.