Bear for Breakfast

by Robert Munsch

Donovan is hungry for a special kind of breakfast . . . BEAR!

It's breakfast time and Donovan knows exactly what he wants this morning! Not eggs, not pancakes, not cereal. No, what he wants is BEAR, just like his grandfather used to eat for breakfast!

So Donovan sets off to bag a bear of his own, going on an adventurous hunt through the woods, where he stalks and is stalked by an ant, a squirrel, and a dog -- but they are not bears, so he shoos them away!

When Donovan finally meets a real, big and growling bear, he quickly learns that sometimes breakfast tastes best when it doesn't have any teeth!

This story was inspiredby Donovan, a first-grader in in La Loche, Saskatchewan, a Chippewancommunity in northern Saskatchewan that Robert Munsch visited in January, 1990. When Robert asked what the kids liked to eat, Donovan said that he liked to eat BEAR!

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Indigenous, Canada

32 pages, Paperback

Published April 7, 2020

About the author

Robert Munsch was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Fordham University in 1969 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and from Boston University in 1971 with a Master of Arts degree in anthropology.

He studied to become a Jesuit priest, but decided he would rather work with children after jobs at orphanages and daycare centers. In 1973, he received a Master of Education in Child Studies from Tufts University. In 1975 he moved to Canada to work at the preschool at the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario. He also taught in the Department of Family Studies at the University of Guelph as a lecturer and as an assistant professor. In Guelph he was encouraged to publish the many stories he made up for the children he worked with.

Munsch's wife delivered two stillborn babies in 1979 and 1980. Out of the tragedy, he produced one of his best-known books, Love You Forever. This book was listed fourth on the 2001 Publishers Weekly All-Time Best selling Children's Books list for paperbacks at 6,970,000 copies (not including the 1,049,000 hardcover copies). The Munsches have since become adoptive parents of Julie, Andrew and Tyya (see them all in Something Good!)

Munsch has obsessive-compulsive disorder and has also suffered from manic depression. In August 2008, Munsch suffered a stroke that affected his ability to speak in normal sentences. He has recovered enough that he is able to perform live, but has put his writing career on hold until he is fully recovered.

Reviews

[Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like breakfast but I feel scared that the bear broke the door. When you break someone’s door you break their house.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book gets props for having a bear be something you can eat AND something that is dangerous, and for having a character go out to hunt and they aren't evil for it. I just really wish the editor had prioritised this one and paid a bit more attention. I know Robert Munsch takes a lot of care to hone his stories over lots of school visits before putting them down on paper, but this one had an inconsistent pattern. Why doesn't the dog say "kid, kid, kid" like all the other animals do? I also don't like that they eat pizza for breakfast--why not waffles like on the cover? I know it's nitpicky and I know kids love pizza, but I didn't like the idea that Donovan would go in search of traditional food and end up eating everyday junk food. If it's meant to be outlandish, it needs to be more outlandish than pizza.

I wasn't sure I would like the illustrations (Martchenko is a high bar), but these illustrations were bright and engaging, and don't look like cheap animation like other picture books with this digital-looking style. I wish the editor had caught some things here as well, like how some illustrations looked nearly identical to the page before--the illustrations were great, but it could have added more tension in the story to change up the composition a bit.

I might still try to read this one to a group because it has lots of repetition and fun sounds. I'll just add the bit with the dog saying "kid, kid, kid" or it'll drive me nuts!

[Nadia L. Hohn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book since it is on many recommended year-end lists in 2019. I thought it was written by an indigenous author but realize now that the book was illustrated by an indigenous illustrator. I figured out that this book was written by none other than Robert Munsch as in many ways it matched his style. A child directs the story with a strange desire that cannot be satiated. In this case, Donovan wants to eat bear for breakfast like his father had told me he had as a child. The search for bear leads Donovan into a scary situation which reminds the reader “not to poke the bear”. In Munsch style, there is a lot of repetition of words and onomatopoeia as well. The book was okay but matched a humour that would match my younger students.

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

My kids love Robert Munch books where I need to to yell a lot. There’s lots of repetition and fun sounds to keep them engaged. This Munch second outing with Algonquin illustrator Jay Odjick. He has a delightful style that could use a bit more work on backgrounds. These are the things you notice when your child requests the same book several times a day. It’s definitely a hit.
It’s don’t bite off more than you can chew told with the typical Munch absurdity.

[Luciana · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book for story telling!

It's a story about a boy who would like to eat a bear for breakfast. He goes outside to see if he can find one & to his surprise he does.

What I love about this story is its Canadian content, but also I love all the sounds the other animals make. It's repetitious and fun and you can really be creative while reading this story!

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

The repeated short word sounds (like “trip, trip,trip” and “blam, blam, blam”) make this fun for both reading aloud and encouraging early reading.

The art is wonderful and the story is just a bit silly.

[Sara Cook · Rating 1 out of 5]

Has Robert Munsch gone downhill? Has he run out of ideas? This book was lacking. I know his books are usually very repetitive and fun for kids, but with this book, I don’t know. Felt like a waste of time and paper.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too many sounds. Didn't love it. Might be better with a more excited group.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got the dual language edition- was so fantastic to see the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabe community represented so I could share it!

[Johannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Love the indigenous connections and representation. The story was less than thrilling, very repetitive (in true Munsch fashion) without any sparkle.

[KaitandMaddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Kait started FI in grade 1, I found Robert Munsch books in French quite challenging. Two years later and they are much, much easier. I translate as I go for Maddie.

[Meepelous · Rating 3 out of 5]

coincidentally read this book and found out that someone I knew was away that weekend hunting bear. Much like this story I don't believe they were successful.

[Anastasia Antony · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.89 to 4 star rating

[Nora C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really love this book. You should read this book today.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm sure young children will find this story amusing, unless they are put off by the boy wanting to eat bear for breakfast. In Robert Munsch style, the story is repetitive and far-fetched in his typical funny way. The illustrations are bright and expressive, created by a talented Indigenous illustrator.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ya, the sounds just kill it for me.

[Gauss the Panda · Rating 5 out of 5]

An awesome book! Very fun to read. I like the bilingual version. The illustrations are wonderful.

[Jeanine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for interactive reading aloud. Entertaining but not educational