This is a charming story of a little bear awakened from his long winter's nap by sounds. Leaving his cave, the lonely bear finds friends, some of whom are in need. The bear helps each one who requests it.

While searching for a place to sleep, the animals found a cozy house, with a decorated tree. The animals realized they were seeing their first Christmas!

As always, the illustrations of Jim LaMarche are incredibly detailed. He has a way of capturing expressions on both animal and human subjects. He remains one of my favorite illustrators. ( )

Bear's First Christmas is such a sweet book for young children! The rhyming words keeps you intrigued while the illustrations are amazing. Children will love the details and all the animals. It even teaches kindness, friendship, and sacrifice. ( )

It has been quite a while since I read a book in rhyme. This book is :-)
Wonderful illustrations! They make the wild animals children proof and give a chill to the wintery images.
These illustrations are combined with a nice story, entirely seen from the view of the animals. No interaction between the humans and the animals in this book, the humans play only a very small role.
Loved it! ( )

A young bear, safely hibernating through his first winter in this rhyming holiday tale, is awakened by a faraway sound, soft and mysterious, and sets out through the snowy landscape to investigate. Coming across a series of animals in need of his aid along the way - a hungry crow with whom he shares his honey; a moose who needs help in cracking the ice in a nearby bog, in order to eat the weeds; a pheasant family whose nest has been destroyed by falling snow - the bear soon has companions, in his quest. When the animals do find the source of the mysterious sound - a cabin in the woods, in which a human family are celebrating Christmas by singing carols, around their decorated tree - they are caught up in the magic of the season, and, returning to the bear's snug lair, see it all around them...

Although I appreciated the message here - that the Christmas spirit is about sharing with one another, and that humble abodes are as fitting a locale for the season, as any other - and enjoyed the gentle, rhyming text, the real star of Bear's First Christmas, for me, was Jim LaMarche's beautiful acrylic and colored pencil artwork. The animals have a soft furry and feathery quality to them, that is very appealing, and the winter landscapes are lovely. It probably helps that I love wintry scenes! I particularly liked the image in which all the animals are gazing in the window at the Christmas tree - just adorable! All in all, a sweet little holiday read, one I would recommend to young animals lovers looking for seasonal stories. ( )

i love the illustration and its great for the season! ( )