Day 108: We're Going On a Bear Hunt

"We're going on a bear hunt.  We're going to catch a big one.  What a beautiful day!  We're not scared."  Come along with a father, his four children, and their faithful border collie as they set out for an afternoon of adventure in Michael Rosen's fabulous version of the classic We're Going On a Bear Hunt.  My son has become quite fond of this story lately, and with good reason.  It's delightfully fun to read, and we can't help but feel the excitement building with each turn of the page.  Will they ever find a bear?  Once they do, will they be able to outrun it?  Will they shut their door in time??  The sound effects, of course, are my son's favorite part, and I always find my pace quickening along with the family's footsteps at the end of the book as they race towards home:  "Back through the cave!  Tip toe, tip toe!  Back through the snowstorm!  Hooo woooo, hoooo woooo!  Back through the forest!  Stumble trip, stumble trip!  Back through the mud!  Squelch squerch, squelch squerch!  Back through the river!  Splash splosh, splash splosh!  Back through the grass!  Swishy swashy, swishy swashy!" Never being one to go around, over or under things, my son also loves that the family has no choice but to boldly go through each obstacle they encounter.  Why go around the mud when you can squelch right though it?  Helen Oxenbury's illustrations are wonderful, and they do a great job of making the story come alive and feel exciting rather than scary.  One of my favorite images is the one on the last page, with the bear slowly heading home along the beach, hanging his head in defeat as the sun sets over the water.  As Rosen asks in his introduction, what is the bear thinking there?  This book is sure to make your child laugh with delight and ask to read it again and again.  I would prefer to stay snug under the covers, but perhaps after reading this story, your little adventurers will be asking to go out on a bear hunt of their own.