Every Autumn Comes the Bear

by Jim Arnosky

Every year, as winter approaches, a large black bear wanders through the woods, exploring trails and disturbing all the local inhabitants as it searches for a warm den to spend the cold winter.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Storytime, Childrens, Nature, Science, School

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 14, 1993

About the author

Jim Arnosky was born in New York City, NY Sept 1, 1946. He was raised in Pennsylvania. Jim graduated from high school in Philadelphia and joined the US Naval Reserves. His active duty took him to Maryland and Bremerhaven, Germany.

In 1976 Jim and his wife Deanna moved to Vermont with their two daughters where they have lived in an old farmhouse for the past 28 years. 17 of those years were spent raising sheep.

Jim is self taught in writing, art and the natural sciences. He has written and illustrated 86 books on nature subjects and has illustrated 46 other books written by various authors. He has been awarded the Christopher Medal, Orbis Pictus Honor, ALA Gordon Award, and Outstanding Science book awards from National Science Teachers Associations.

Jim loves to fish, boat, and play his guitar. In his work, he uses a Betacam SP video camcorder with a 1600 mm lens to record the wildlife he and Deanna find all across the country.

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

We read this as part of our hibernation reads but it didn't address hibernation hardly at all so was kind of a disappointment to me. We enjoy a lot of Jim Arnosky's books but this one didn't check the boxes I was hoping for with a hibernation book. We mostly see the bear wandering around encountering other animals (including a rather startlingly fierce illustration of him growling at a bobcat) and then at the end he goes to sleep. We don't even see him eating food in preparation for his sleep. I wouldn't recommend it for a hibernation study but it's nice enough if you want an autumn/early winter nature book about a bear wandering in the woods before he sleeps for the winter.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

A black bear makes his annual autumn appearance on the hill above a small farm in this picture-book from author/illustrator Jim Arnosky, taking in all the sights, watching all of the other animals, and waiting for the right time to withdraw into a cave for his winter hibernation...

Like so many of Arnosky's other picture-books in this vein, from Rabbits & Raindrops to Watching Foxes , the text here is very basic - just a short phrase or sentence per page - and is paired with beautiful watercolor illustrations. These stories are meant to provoke wonder in the young child, at the beauty of nature, and they are informational, but only in the most basic sense. I would recommend this one to very young animal lovers, as a general story about a bear in the autumn. Perhaps it could be paired with a book that gives more specifics about hibernation.

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starting off the year trying to get back in reading mode with some old, easy reads still on my shelf. This one's perfect for that purpose and beautifully illustrated.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a simple story about a bear who prepares for his winter hibernation. The narrative is short, with only a sentence on each page, but the illustrations are richly colored and detailed.

I prepared our girls for the fact that the book would be too 'babyish' for them and asked them instead to discuss what they saw, noticing the quality of the illustrations. We paused over each page, appreciating the beauty of the autumn scenes. We enjoyed reading this book together.

This book was featured as one of the selections for the November 2019: Hibernation-themed books discussion at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books group here at Goodreads.

[Cora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Per my first grader that read this: It has beautiful pictures and it rhymes.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

A favorite simple book for my preschoolers for Autumn.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one we check out every year. Natural history, simply told and beautifully illustrated.

[Kristin Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The PreK kids liked this one and wanted me to get it from the library again. I like the simple text and the illustrations, especially as it begins to snow. There are quite a few other animals that can be spotted on the pages (porcupine, grouse, rabbits). I expected it to talk about hibernation but it didn't. It got us interested though and we found other library books for that.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 2 out of 5]

A simple narrative for the younger ones about a bear tramping through the woods.

Ages: 2 - 4

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[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A peaceful, slow book about autumn. Lovely illustrations.

We're reading this with other books about autumn, like What I See Hidden in the Woods, Autumn Leaves, Where Do They Go?: Insects in Winter, Owl Moon, Dear Rebecca, Winter Is Here, Animals in Winter, The Bears' Autumn, etc.

[Priscilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a children’s picture book that is intended for audiences anywhere from toddlers to first or maybe second grade. However, having grown up reading this book, I still love reading it as an adult! The book follows a bear as he walks through the late autumn woods near a farm. As we meet all of the animals that the bear encounters on his walk to find a den to hibernate in, we also get to see the beautiful illustrations of the fall-colored woods as it begins to snow. There are many children’s books about animals in fall and winter, but the magic of this book is in its illustrations. It looks exactly as fall in the northeast feels. Much of the narration simply describes what is happening on the pages and so the reader is constantly drawn back to the watercolor illustrations. If you are a teacher to littles, there is a lot of detail to point out throughout the pages. I am a Pre-K teacher and I think this is a great book to read for preschool through first grade on the first day of fall, when fall gets closer to winter or during a fall curriculum theme. As I said, I grew up reading this book so I might be a bit biased but when autumn is coming, this book is a must-read!

[Arefa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bear wanders through the woods before he sleeps for the winter. It's implied that the bear is getting ready for hibernation. At the end it says "he finds his den and crawls inside" and falls asleep "with only fat and fur to keep him warm." This is the only part that mentions hibernation. I do not recommend this book to specifically teach about hibernation. However, I would recommend it as a nice story to read. The narrative is simple with one sentence on each page accompanied by beautiful illustrations. It would be a good read aloud for the end of fall to the beginning of winter.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arnosky seems to be writing about something that is very real for him, a bear that lives near his home, and what it's like in the forest because of it. This is a very well-written environmental text, taking place in the New England region. It covers the bear's arrival and how it effects the other wildlife, concluding with the bear settling into his rock shelter for the winter. Though the bear isn't humanized in any way, there is a certain peacefulness to the entire experience, where the bear, though not friends with the other animals, is respected and tolerated in his ramblings. Nicely done. Good for younger audiences.

[Ashley B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The pictures in this book are amazing. There is so much detail in the illustrations that they are pleasant to look at and an analyze. The pictures show what the words are talking about, so a reader could point out to the different objects in the pictures to someone they were reading to. The book takes the reader through the seasons, a bear waking up in the spring to falling asleep for a long winter's nap. This would be a good book for kids who like the outdoors or like animals.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was published a year after I was born! The book I read was in very good condition considering its age and I absolutely adored this book. It made me feel all warm inside and excited to keep reading. The writing flows really well and I loved following the bear around. The illustrations are amazing too. It looks like it was done in watercolor and it's beautiful. I recommend this to all ages, especially if you love bears.

[Tompkins County Public Library Youth Services]

Every autumn comes my wish to read this simple sweet book again! If you have a young child who is into nature and real animals, this book, and many others by Jim Arnosky, should have a place in your family reading repertoire.  Both my kids loved all these sort of quiet, realistic books (as well as many other genres!) when they were young and both developed a strong love for nature and the planet.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I reread this with my kids every autumn for years.
This year my 15 year old pulled it off the shelf during the power outage from Hurricane Helene and asked me to read it, because I’ve always told her “we are never too old to enjoy a picture book.”

We love the illustrations, the gentle quiet of the words on the pages, and the memories of times where she fit into the chair or on my lap while we read.

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was something very peaceful about this book. It's very simple and short, and the illustrations are excellent. I noticed this book in the Homestead Heritage bookshop, and ordered it through ILL at Baylor.

Kate didn't read all of it, although she could have; we took turns reading alternate pages.

[Cindy Overcast · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Every Autumn Comes the Bear” written and illustrated by Jim Arnosky (Copyright 1993, G.P. Putnam’s Sons) is a beautifully illustrated vintage picture book that is a tribute to autumn shown through the routines of a bear as he finds a den for hibernation. This review was originally published as part of my "Picture Book Favorites for Fall" blog post at www.cindyovercast.com.

[Asho · Rating 4 out of 5]

We picked out some fall books at the library last week and I picked this for L since she is a big animal fan. I liked this for capturing a fall vibe. Something about it is rather peaceful. L (almost 3) liked the illustrations and did a lot of "awwwing" about the wildlife.

[Amanda Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have used this along with the Read-Well unit featuring habitats. I use it every year as my go to autumn book if I get a chance to read an extra book in the fall. I think I love Jim Arnosky, his illustrations are both beautiful and accurate.

[Lara Lleverino · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book but not one of Arnosky’s best. The cover illustration didn’t live up to the inside illustrations. Sorry of a bear coming to hibernate but very short and sparse on the usual Arnosky descriptive magic.

[Lea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nicely illustrated. I’m not sure animals hide from a black bear though, they sure don’t in my neighborhood. It also doesn’t address eating, which is a huge part of a bear’s life prior to torpor in a cave.
But maybe I’ll expecting too much from a book with just over 100 words in it.

[Jane Dotson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the simplicity of this book and the exposure to different animals that could be found in the woods.
The art is beautiful but for whatever reason the paint strokes are a little disorienting to look at.

[susan nolan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fall - winter storytime
Fall storytime use with The Big Storm by Tafuri

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had actually never read this before but it is kind of a classic.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good, quick story about hibernation. The bear growling illustration may scare a few kids.

[Megan B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Samantha Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is beautifully illustrated with a sweet story of hibernation.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read at a bear-themed family story time at my house on 11/4/19: https://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com...