Bear and his friends hunt for missing eggs in this new picture book adventure.
Mama Meadowlark can’t find her eggs! Bear and his friends pitch in to help and search high and low. Each time they find an egg, they paint it with bright colors so they don’t lose it again and add it to Hare’s handy basket. Will they be able to return all the eggs to their mother?
Karma Wilson grew up an only child of a single mother in the wilds of North Idaho. Way back then (just past the stone age and somewhat before the era of computers) there was no cable TV and if there had been Karma could not have recieved it. TV reception was limited to 3 channels, of which one came in with some clarity. Karma did the only sensible thing a lonely little girl could do…she read or played outdoors.
Playing outdoors was fun, but reading was Karma’s “first love” and, by the age 11, she was devouring about a novel a day. She was even known to try to read while riding her bike down dirt roads, which she does not recommend as it is hazardous to the general well being of the bike, the rider, and more importantly the book. Her reading preferences were fantasy (C.S. Lewis, Terry Brooks, etc…) and historical fiction (L.M. Montgomery, Laura Ingalls Wilder, etc…). Those tastes have not changed much.
Karma never considered writing as a profession because her mother was a professional writer which made it seem like mundane work. At the age of 27 she realized that she still loved well-written children’s books of all kinds, from picture books to young adult novels. By that time Karma was a wife and the mother of three young children. Trips to the library with her kids were a combination of emotions…a good book meant fun for all! But so many of the books weren’t what her children wanted to listen to.
Then a tax refund changed everything. With the money the family decided to invest in a computer. Karma was forced to learn to type. Combining her desire to make the expensive computer pay for itself, her new-found typing skill, and her love of children’s literature, Karma started writing for children. She wanted to put a few more good books on the library shelves and pay off that computer! Countless rejections and three years later Karma was finally accepted by book agent Steven Malk (who had already rejected her once, which she never lets him forget). Her first book, Bear Snores On, was released in 2002. The computer was paid for!
Since then Karma has had more than 30 books accepted for publication. Many of those are on the shelves of libraries and bookstores around the world. Her books have received numerous state and national awards, been translated into dozens of languages, and a few have made an appearance on the New York Times bestseller list. Karma sincerely hopes that her books bring joy to children and families everywhere.
Karma writes humorous, rhythmic picture books for the very young, and humorous and wistful poetry for the primary grades.
These days Karma lives with her handsome husband Scott, and her three not-so-young-anymore children, two dogs, two chickens and one cat on some modest but lovely acreage in NW Montana. Her hobbies include reading (of course), photography, baking, yoga, and a passion for Mixed Martial Arts.
I have been a fan of Bear since the first title was published. And in this title I find the last two or three double page spreads with the close up illustrations to be very beautiful. Being an avid bird watcher I was not thrilled with Bear putting food into a bird nest. Also all the handling of the eggs and they all hatch and everything is fine thread is off for me. Yes, I know it is a picture book story but this Bear title just isn’t one I enjoyed.
Eh, this one was okay. Compared to the other Bear books, I just didn’t like it as much. Bear and his friends help find a bird’s missing eggs. Mia’s Year of Books: Day 14.
Beautiful, bright pictures filled with nature grabbed my attention with this children’s picture book. While bear and his friends walk through Strawberry Vale, Raven spots a robin’s nest in a tree and alerts bear. Owl, rabbit, mouse, and many other animal friends gather to watch Bear climb up the tree to see what is inside this nest that Raven found. Baby eggs. Three pretty, little robin eggs, tucked high up in the tree. Bear leaves the babies a present in the nest for the day that they hatch, and they continue their walk. Hare finds the next treasure when he spots a large nest in the reeds by the pond. All the friends gather around the nest as bear again leaves a special present for the babies on the day they hatch.
What’s this? The group hears someone crying. Something has happened to Mama Meadowlark’s eggs, as they are missing. Bear and his friends spring into action! I love the way the friends scatter on the page and how they instantly help this mama. This hunt takes the friends in different directions, but they all gather as they find each one. They decide to paint the eggs, so they don’t disappear again, and they put the eggs in a container for safe keeping. Mama bird is happy as the group finds her eggs. The end of the book is sweet for bear and his friends.
This is a cute book, and most children will enjoy the happy story and love all the animals the story inside it. The illustrations are wonderful, and they pop right out of the book. I had some questions as I read the book, but this is the adult in me as I pondered why they painted the eggs when they found them. I also didn’t want bear to disturb all the eggs when he came upon them in each of the nests. I loved the friendship in the book and how they all worked together. 4 stars
Bear is out in the forest with his friends when he is invited to look at the eggs in a robin's next. He leaves a little gift for the baby birds soon to come. The friends continue on, and do the same for the duck's nest in the marsh. In the meadow, however, they run into a mother meadowlark in distress who tells them that her eggs are missing. A search is started, and when the eggs are found one by one, Bear paints them so they are easier to find in case they get lost again. When the final two are located, they are taken to the meadowlark's nest, but before they arrive, the eggs start to hatch! Bear gets to greet the fledgings, wish them luck, and invite them to visit him when they are older.
The illustrations of the animals are all very realistic, and the green background of the various places in the wilderness is very soothing. I especially liked some of the flowers, which added pops of color and made me want to look up what kinds of flowers they might be!
The story is in rhyme and meter, so would make a good read aloud that would hold up to frequent repetitions. The size of the text is somewhat larger than normal, and since there are only a few lines on each page, this would be a very quick read.
This is the eleventh book in the series, which doesn't matter all that much. I was a little confused as to why such a wide array of animals was together, and to why the meadowlark lost her eggs (Was she carrying them around? Did another animal move them?) but I am perhaps I am overthinking a simple picture book about friends greeting new babies. Toht's Pick a Perfect Egg, John and Oswald's The Great Escape, or Platt and Martin's Easter Starring Egg.
These books are too cute! In Bear Finds Eggs, Bear and friends go for a walk and end up finding bird nests filled with eggs. Leaving treats, Bear can’t wait to meet the little ones. But when visiting one bird, the friends learn that the eggs are missing! They go on an egg hunt, bringing the eggs back home just in time!
The story is an absolute blast to read out loud to a little one! It’s fun and goes quickly, but the artwork gives plenty extra to really soak in and point out to kids while reading! The expressions and things that each of the animals bring to the pages is always so fun to see! Everyone looks so happy!
This is a treat to read! While not Easter-themed, there is egg painting so I cannot wait for this to be an annual read with our little guy around the holiday and throughout the rest of the year as well!
What a fun book! When bear climbs a tree, he finds some eggs in a nest. He leaves a gift for the soon to be hatched chicks. But soon Mama meadowlark cries out that she has lost her eggs! Can Bear and his friends find them? There's a lot of rhyming and repetition "And Bear finds..." with a few surprises thrown in. A nice departure from the usual Easter egg books - even though it looks very springy - and there's a hare and some colored eggs on the cover - it can be read at any time. Bear and his friends do put some color on Mama Meadowlark's eggs - but only to make them easier to find.
Bear goes hunting for eggs with his nature crew, and they paint them along the way (and oh, they hatch at the end!) I'm a huge fan of the Bear books, and the art in this one with the coloring was fantastic, but I was also a little put off by the moving and painting of bird eggs (I understand the need of a natural way to do a mock Easter, as is needed in Bear's natural world, but I still was like... "oh, oh no!") I'd still recommend this as a good spring or Easter book, and it's a solid continuation of the series.
Not my favorite Bear book. I kind of feel like it was chaotic.
The book starts with bear finding nests with eggs and leaving behind food for when the eggs hatch, which is cute. But then a Meadowlark says her eggs and lost and so Bear and crew go looking. Then they decide to paint the eggs when they find them? It doesn't really make sense. As soon as they find the final egg, they all hatch. So yea, I just feel like it was going in too many directions.
Bear is out with friends enjoying the spring when they start to notice different birds nests. They enjoy spotting the eggs and celebrate together. Then, the meadowlark comes to them as she has lost her eggs. The egg hunt begins and all are finally found. A bit of an Easter egg hunt theme is hinted at as the eggs are put in a basket and painted so they can be found again. The birds hatch and all are welcome at Bear's home. Sweet interactions as readers return to Wilson's Bear and friends.
Brief summary: Bear is walking through Strawberry Vale, searching for eggs and leaving small presents in the nests. Meadowlark has noticed that all of her eggs are missing, so the forest creatures come together to help her find the brown eggs. They paint the eggs as they search, making them easier to spot.
Comments: The book features stunning acrylic illustrations that span across two pages.
Give me a Bear book any day of the week and rather than being an "Easter" story, it's about the eggs of birds and particularly one whose eggs are missing-- the forest friends including Bear must help find them and keep them safe (which includes painting them bright colors to keep track of them).
Then, they hatch and there are baby birds that Bear and friends hope visit them.
The lush setting in the forest is always a delight to return to Strawberry Vale.
We love the Bear books and my son enjoyed this, though it wasn't one of my favorites in the series. I appreciate that it's a different take on the typical "Easter egg hunt" in that the eggs bear finds are eggs that will hatch into chicks but I do wish some note was added to the back that reminds children they should not touch or feed wild baby birds but should ask an adult to contact bird rescue for advice on how best to help them.
5 stars. Bear is finding eggs, but not the kind you might expect! Charming rhyming text and the adorable illustrations of all the animal friends. Surprise ending makes this book perfect for a springtime or Easter storytime! Love these books with the one repeating line that all the littles like to chime in.
The illustrations are cute, but it seems as if this Easter story felt a bit mailed-in. As other reviewers have noted, this story also talks about interfering with wild bird eggs and nests--which is one thing if it stays strictly within the fantasy realm of this book, but quite another if any young listeners might be tempted to do the same if they happen across a nest.
Cute. Decent rhymes. I like that we still have the repeating phrase. I love the way Eggs is written on the cover. I like that this is a spring book more than an Easter book even though it is an egg hunt.
While out walking in the forest Bear and his friends discover that Mama Meadowlark are missing her eggs from the nest. Bear and his friends help search to find the missing eggs, and after finding them Bear finds a surprise when he returns to his lair.
You really can't go wrong with Karma Wilson's Bear series! Though this book may be catalogued as a holiday book, it never mentions Easter, so it can certainly be read for a general read aloud. Love, love, love it!
A kind bear helps a mama meadowlark find her lost eggs. A very sweet story! It was fun to search the elaborate pictures for the missing eggs, and at the end, the hatched chicks visit the bear’s lair to say thank you. -Mama
My inner child and I both find this ridiculous. The meadowlark would not have lost her eggs (and if she had, her genes would be defective, and they'd be better off not hatched). And bear would have loved to gobble up all the eggs.