What to Read After... We're Going on a Bear Hunt

Published on: 15 March 2022

We're going on a bear hunt, we're going to catch a big one!

Many of us will remember Michael Rosen's brilliant We're Going On A Bear Hunt from our own childhoods, and it's still so much fun to read together with little ones! Here's our pick of the books children might enjoy next...

For the bear necessities...

For some other brilliant picture books featuring bears, picture book legend Jill Murphy’s last picture book, Just One Of Those Days features the Bear family navigating a less than perfect day after not sleeping very well the night before: a really comforting, relatable read. Sian Wheatcroft’s This Bear, That Bear also follows a singsong rhythm in a similar way to Bear Hunt, and depicts a brilliant variety of bears. Bear Moves (the sequel to I Am Bear) by Ben Bailey Smith and Sav Aykuz is also a jolly picture book encouraging lots of movement, just like We’re Going on a Bear Hunt.

For fun with rhymes...

If you’re looking for some other great rhyming picture books for 2-4 year olds, look no further than Michael Rosen and Chris Riddell’s Wiggly Wiggly Playtime Rhymes or Honey for You, Honey for Me; both lovely big books full of rhymes of all lengths parents can try out with children. The Playsongs series, such as Grand Day Out are also full of traditional and newer rhymes, and come with a CD and a QR code so that families can listen together.

From Nature Trail by Benjamin Zephaniah

For gorgeous illustrations...

If you love the pictures in Bear Hunt, you’ll love discovering other picture books illustrated by the legendary Helen Oxenbury. In So Much written by Trish Cooke, family members drop in on a mum and her new baby, delighted to meet the new arrival. In Big Momma Makes The World a rounded, plain speaking woman with a baby creates the world, and Charley’s First Night describes that special bond between a child and a treasured pet.

For getting into nature...

For books that encourage children to want to explore nature, just like We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, Eloise White and Cory Reid’s We’re Off To Find A Fairy tells the story of a family going to the countryside one day in search of a fairy, and finding lots of endangered creatures instead. In Benjamin Zephaniah’s Nature Trail, illustrated by Nila Aye, a joyful poem within a picture book pays tribute to all the treats that nature has to offer. Last, in Smriti Halls’ and David Litchfield’s Rain Before Rainbows features a theme of a journey and a simple rhyming text that reminds the reader that, despite the difficulties life can bring, there is always light on the horizon and the promise of a better day.