30 Fantastic Bear Books for Kids – Cuddly and Strong

1. Where is Mrs. Bear? – Ingela P Arrhenius & Axel Scheffler

“Where is Mrs. Bear?” is an elementary but vibrant book with felt flaps that your child will love to discover. It is very sturdy and fun with a mirror at the end. Where is Mrs. Wolf? And Moose? And Beaver? And Bear? And you? This is one of our favorite animal book collections for babies.

2. I Love You, Daddy – Jillian Harker & Kristina Stephenson

Little bear is getting older, and daddy encourages him to go after new adventures. Of course, he’ll need help and be brave, but daddy loves him and believes in him, and they make a great team. We have the board book, a simplified and shorter version of the original, and it is excellent for 1-year-olds. Great gift for daddy and son so they can read together.

3. I Love you to the Moon and Back – Amelia Hepworth & Tim Warnes

Mama bear and baby bear love to spend time together every day, where they play, share and love each other very much. It is a concise rhyming book, ideal for one-year-olds. The only thing that slightly bothers me about this book is that you would assume the title (which I think is so sweet) would be an essential line in the book… but it is not; it doesn’t appear. The title is the last line and iconic quote of “Guess How Much I Love You.” I do not understand the choice of title. But I guess this is just me. Aside from that, it is a very gentle and loving story that you will enjoy for sure. I’ve kept it in the list as it is one of the top Amazon Best Sellers.

4. Brown Bear and friends books – Bill Martin Jr. & Eric Carle

The collection of board books from Brown Bear and his friends is a classic. “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” was the first and, in my opinion, the best. It is a short rhythmic story with vivid animal illustrations from Eric Carle that perfectly introduces colors and animals to your little one. All the books start with a bear saying what they see – which is another animal. And that animal says what they see, and it goes on and on. So, in the collection, you can find:

• “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?”
• “Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?”
• “Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See?”
• “Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?”

5. Orange Pear Apple Bear – Emily Gravet

Deliciously simple, this is a lovely picture book. Perfectly fun. This book plays with just five words: apple, pear, orange, bear, and there. 

6. Bear Sees Colors – Karma Wilson & Jane Chapman

Bear and his friends spot colors here and there and everywhere. Spot blue, red, yellow, green, and brown with them. The illustrations are charming, and the text rhymes wonderfully to catch your little ones’ attention. A lovely book to work on the colors.

7. Winnie the Pooh – A. A. Milne & Ernest H. Shepard

This book is a lovely gift for a newborn or a 1-year-old (and for collectors). It’s a beautiful keepsake that parents can later use to start reading stories to their baby. It is a classic with incredible life lessons told delightfully and innocently. For over 90 years, Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends – Piglet, Owl, Tigger, and the ever doleful Eeyore – have endured as the unforgettable creations that many children have grown up with.

8. Bizzy Bear: Space Rocket – Benji Davies

Bizzy Bear, Rabbit, and Mouse are ready to go on to space in a space rocket! It’s a short board book with mechanisms that any toddler that loves space will enjoy. My son loves the countdown: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 – Blastoff! The illustrations are lovely and full of color and details that keep them entertained, and the short rhymes will make it easy for them to know by heart. It’s a fantastic kids’ first book about space. For more books about space, check out this post.

9. Pooh’s Honey Trouble – Disney Books

Pooh is out of honey, and his tummy is rumbling. So he goes out to see his friends and see if he can get distracted or find some honey. Lucky for him, Christopher Robin has a great idea. It’s a sweetly illustrated story of the classical scene where Pooh flies with a balloon, created by Disney.

10. We’re Going on a Bear Hunt – Michael Rosen & Helen Oxenbury

This book is a classic. It’s a story about a family that swish-swashes through grass, splash-splosh through a river, and squelch-squertch through the mud to find a bear. When they get to the cave on the other side of the forest, they will be surprised! There’s a song to it, and I encourage you to listen to Michael Rosen’s story read aloud. It is fantastic, and little ones love it.

11. Grrrrr! – Rob Biddulph

Oh, what a fantastic book! It’s a book about competing, about cheating, about friends and about winning. It sparks conversations about what is important, and what matters. It has wonderful illustrations from Rob Biddulph. I found this read-aloud animated version, and it is fantastic. My children love it. I also found a #drawwithrob video of the characters: here you have a tutorial for Fred, and here you have a tutorial for Eugene. My daughter loves drawing them!

12. Bear Snores On – Karma Wilson & Jane Chapman

While a bear is sleeping through winter in his big dark cave, little animals sneak in. The animals first light a fire, then they pop corn and brew tea, share nuts and end up having a party beside him. And through it all, the bear snores on. But wait, he might wake up! And what will he do then? A lovely story about friendship and sharing and bears sleeping through winter.

13. I Want My Hat Back – Jon Klassen

Bear has lost his hat and can’t find it anywhere. So he asks patiently and politely to every animal he comes across if they have found his hat, but they all say no. Until deer asks him what the matter is, and the bear realizes he has actually seen his hat! It’s a funny and repetitive story with lovely modern illustrations and a naughty twist. This book was the New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book of 2011. 

14. Breathe Like a Bear – Kira Willey & Anni Betts

“Breathe Like a Bear” is a book of mindfulness. It is about paying attention to the present moment, to what’s happening inside our bodies and around us. It’s a book filled with fun ways to practice mindfulness. Doing these exercises can help little ones focus, calm down, and feel energized whenever they need to. So here you have Kira Willey, the author, reading a couple of exercises so you can see what it is like. 

15. Mother Bruce – Ryan T. Higgins

“Mother Bruce” is an unusual and hilarious story about Bruce, a grumpy bear who likes to live alone, and four young goslings that hatch on his pan and think he is his mamma. Bruce tries to return them to their mother, but she has flown south, and even if he doesn’t want to, he has to take care of the gosling. When winter comes again, he tries to get the geese to go south, but he can’t seem to rid himself of his new companions. So what must a bear do? This book is the first of a collection of seven picture books about Bruce and a fun read.

17. Where is Bear? – Jonathan Bentley

Where is Bear? Where can he be? A little boy is searching for a bear all around the house (while a big looming bear is following him around in plain sight). In the end, we realize he is not looking for the big bear but his teddy bear! 

18. Goldilocks and the Three Bears – Susanna Davidson, Mike Gordon & Carl Gordon

This is a classic fairy tale of how Goldilocks entered the Three Bears’ house uninvited, ate their porridge, sat on their chairs, and tried out their beds. Of course, we should never break into someone’s home or use things that are not ours without permission – and this is a good story to explain these important concepts to our children.

19. Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas – Natasha Yim & Grace Zong

A modern twist on the classic “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.” During the Chinese New Year in a contemporary Chinatown, Goldy Luck, a very unlucky girl, takes some turnip cakes from her mother to her neighbor’s. But the Chan’s aren’t home, and the plate with all the cakes falls. The cakes get ruined, and all goes wrong from that point onward. So what will she do when the Chan’s get home? I like the story because – SPOILER – Goldy returns, admits her wrongdoing, asks for forgiveness, and helps mend all things broken. And she ends feeling lucky at the end. 

20. Corduroy – Don Freeman

Corduroy is a teddy bear that lives in a department store with other dolls and toys. One day, a girl discovers him and wants to take him home, but her mother says they’ve spent too much and that not that day. Besides, the bear is missing a button on his overalls. Corduroy had not realized he was missing anything – so, at night, he wanders around the department store to see if he can find it. What an adventure for a tiny teddy bear! This book is a classic and recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. 

21. Can’t You Sleep Little Bear? – Martin Wadell & Barbara Firth

Little Bear can’t sleep – he is afraid of the dark surrounding him in the Bear Cave. Big Bear does all he can to help him not be scared and reassure him that everything will be ok. A sweet, award-winning story for bedtime that has been around for over 25 years. For more bedtime books, check out this blog post with our favorites.

22. The Bear and the Piano – David Litchfield

What a wonderfully illustrated book. It is a story about music, self-discovery, and about following your dreams. But it is also about our origins, about the value of friendship. It reminds us that even if we follow our dreams and go big, we have friends, family, and loved ones who were there from the start. They support us and are proud of us. And in the end, they might be the most important audience we might ever have.

23. Paddington – Michael Bond & R.W. Alley

This book is the original story of the bear from Darkest Peru and his first day in London. The Brown family first meets Paddington Bear at Paddington station (the reason why he has such an unusual name). He was sitting with the left luggage, and they offered to help him and invite him home. This is the story of how they took the loving bear into their life. A lovely and funny story that children will enjoy.

24. All About Bears – National Geographic Kids Bears

This is a fantastic non-fiction book filled with facts and natural pictures that will help you explore the world of these extraordinary animals! You’ll meet the eight species of bears, learn about their life, where they live, and what they do. Here you can learn a lot about them!

25. The Berenstain Bears and the Truth – Stan & Jan Berenstein

The Berenstain Bears books are a classic. The first book was created in 1962, and there are more than 300 books in the series. The illustrations and style might feel outdated, but the values and good habits behind the stories are fantastic. I like “The Berenstain Bears and the Truth” because it is a story that could happen in any household, where the two siblings break the rule of “no playing with the ball inside the house,” and as a result, a lamp breaks. Instead of telling the truth, they make up a lie, and how the family deals with the situation is just fantastic. It talks about feelings and how trust can’t be put back together once it’s broken. That is why it is so important to tell the truth. Other great books are “The Berenstain Bears and the Messy Room” and “The Berenstain Bears Forget their Manners.”

26. The Bear Ate Your Sandwich – Julia Sarcone-Roach

This is the story of how a bear travels to the city by accident, gets lost, has funny encounters, and ends up spotting an unattended sandwich in the park. The story is so captivating that it is not until the end that we suspect this is a tall tale by the actual eater of the sandwich. The illustrations are made with acrylic paint and beautiful lighting that is different from most picture books for children. Mischievous and lovely.

27. Bizzy Bear: Christmas Helper – Benji Davies

It’s Christmas, and Bizzy is helping out at the North Pole as one of Santa’s elves. He makes toys, packs the sleigh, and helps Santa make his deliveries!. A fun and interactive book for little ones. You have five sliders, a sweet rhyming story, and many things to spot and discover. 

28. Bear Stays Up for Christmas – Karma Wilson & Jane Chapman

The day before Christmas bear is fast asleep, snoring because he sleeps all winter long. But his friends wake him up, for they do not want the bear to miss Christmas again this year. So they come up with many Christmassy things to do so that bear won’t sleep, and they’ll have fun together too. So will he make it to Christmas? It is a sweet story in rhyme, with beautiful illustrations, about friendship and Christmas time.

29. The Christmas Bear – Lift-the-flap book – Ian Whybrow & Axel Scheffler

This is a fun Christmas board book with flaps for kids. It is Christmas Eve, and when Father Christmas sets off to make all his deliveries, he accidentally leaves poor Bear behind! So how will he make it to Tom’s house in time for Christmas morning? Find out by lifting the flaps and going with him on his journey. It is a book filled with details by the incredible illustrator of “The Gruffalo” Axel Scheffler.

30. Hannukah Bear – Eric A. Kimmel & Mike Wohnoutka

Bubba Brayna makes the best latkes in the whole village. She is 97 years old and doesn’t see or hear as well as she once had. Today is a very special night, it is the first night of Hannukah, and she is making more latkes as the Rabbi is coming for dinner. The delicious smell of the latkes awakens a bear from hibernation, who knocks on the door. Poor Bubba Brayna thinks it’s the Rabbi and feeds him all the latkes! They both have a lovely Hannukah together, and the bear ends going back to his cave. When the Rabbi and villagers come by later, Bubba Brayna has a good laugh. It is a lovely story for children about Hannukah with a funny twist.