Jill Lane's EDU 625 Literature Blog: Brown Bear

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What D0 You See?

Author: Bill Martin Jr.

Illustrator: Eric Carle

Genre: Fiction, Board Book, Picture Book

Published Year: 1967

Grade Level: Preschool to 2nd grade

Theme: Colors, Animals, Prediction, Repetition

Summary: This beloved book involves colored animals that see other colored animals. It's unique repetition makes it easy for children to follow along and read along. All of the illustrations are made out of colored tissue paper.

Pre-Reading Activity: Talk about animals and the different colors they are.

Post-Reading Activity: Have the animals of the book precut and use it as a memory game to see if the children can put the animals in the order they were in in the book. Then have them recite the book using only the cutouts as props. Or you can have the children sit in a circle and go around the circle saying the words of the book. An example, just substitute the colored words:

Devon, Devon, what do you see?

I see Veronica, looking at me.

Veronica, Veronica, what do you see?

I see Carlos looking at me.

For older children have them write their own story about things they see at home.

Reflection: I love this story and have read this book to my son since he was a newborn. It was so great that he can now read it to me. I often used this story in my PreKindergarten classroom as a read-aloud and would have the children read along with me. I also used the song version for a nap-time song.

About the Author

Bill Martin Jr.

Bill Martin Jr truly was "America's favorite children's author." He wrote for almost 60 years (Yes, his first book, The Little Squeegy Bug--The Story of the Firefly, was published in 1945). He was the author of the classic text Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do you See?, which was illustrated by his dear friend Eric Carle, as well as more than 300 other books for children. Through the years he gave children some of their favorite books, including Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do you Hear? (also illustrated by Eric Carle) The Ghost-Eye Tree, Barn Dance, Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom and many more. His classic work, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, now in board book form, is at the top of the Publisher's Weekly Bestseller list. His basketball thriller, SWISH, co-authored with Michael Sampson, is an exciting basketball tale, written in classic Martin Rhyme\Rhythm style, that features girls' basketball. Six new Martin/Sampson book are now available: (Rock It, Sock It, Number Line; The Little Squeegy Bug, Trick or Treat?, Caddie the Golf Dog, I Pledge Allegiance, Chicka, Chicka 1,2.4! and Little Granny Quarterback. Read them today! A new vesion of Chicken Chuck came out in 2005, and I Love our Earth was published in 2006. Other Martin books that he completed before his death will continue to be released in the years to come. (www.billmartinjr.com)

About the Illustrator

Eric Carle

Eric Carle is acclaimed and beloved as the creator of brilliantly illustrated and innovatively designed picture books for very young children. His best-known work, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, has eaten its way into the hearts of literally millions of children all over the world and has been translated into more than 50 languages and sold over 33 million copies. Since the Caterpillar was published in 1969, Eric Carle has illustrated more than seventy books, many best sellers, most of which he also wrote, and more than 110 million copies of his books have sold around the world.

Interesting Things I Found:

This is the video version of the song that I would use for my PreK children at nap time.