20+ Cute Bear Books for Preschoolers and Children

Looking for fun-to-read bear books for preschoolers? We have picked out some really cute bear books filled with beautiful illustrations to delight your kids. These berar books for children are perfect for toddler, preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, and up! So pick up your copy, cuddle up, and you are ready to impove early literacy with these terrific bear book suggestions!

Bear Books for Preschoolers

Kids love bears. From teddy bears to Winnie the Pooh, there are so many kid friendly bear books, movies, and toys that feature bears. So this list features 25 of the best bear books for preschoolers. You will enjoy reading these bear books for children with toddlers, preschoolers, kindergartners, grade 1, grade 2, grade 3, grade 4, and other elementary age students.

Bear Books

Bear Snores On was written by Karma Wilson and illustrated by Jane Chapman. This rhyming story follows a group of animals who find shelter in the den of a sleeping bear. They hide from a storm, eat treats, and have a good time together until Bear wakes up and starts to growl. But poor Bear just wants to join in the fun. Kids will love this lyrical book and the funny ending.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? was written by Bill Martin Jr. and illustrated by Eric Carle. This colorful introduction to simple concepts is a classic for a reason. Kids love the repetitive rhyming format of the text as each colorful animal introduces another colorful animal. This is a great introduction to colors and animals for young readers.

Honey was written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein. This sweet book follows a bear who has woken up early from hibernation and goes in search of food. What he wants is honey, but it isn’t ready yet. As he watches the world wake up from the winter, he hears the buzzing sound that means honey will soon be ready.

Sleep, Big Bear, Sleep! was written by Maureen Wright and illustrated by Will Hillenbrand. It’s wintertime, and time for Big Bear to hibernate. But Big Bear doesn’t hear very well, and all Old Man Winter’s warnings to sleep are misheard. Kids will love watching the silly things that Big Bear does instead of going to sleep.

The Big Honey Hunt was written by Stan and Jan Berenstain. This rhyming story introduces readers to the beloved Berenstain Bear family as Father Bear takes Small Bear on a mission to get honey for the family. Kids will love the peppy rhyming text and the silly situations that the bears get into while searching for delicious honey.

Big Bear and Little Fish was written by Sandra Nickel and illustrated by Il Sung Na. This story follows a Bear who visits a carnival hoping to win a big teddy bear. When she wins a tiny fish instead, she worries that they won’t have enough in common to be friends. This is a sweet story of finding friendship in unexpected places.

Bear Books for Children

Good Night Bears was written by Adam Gamble and Mark Jasper. In this soothing bedtime book, the text highlights all kinds of bears and addresses the need to be safe around bears, while also sending little ones off to sleep with a soothing good night. Kids will enjoy exploring the illustrations of the different types of bears, and the hidden surprises in the final illustration.

Don’t Wake Up the Bear! was written by Marjorie Dennis Murray and illustrated by Patricia Wittmann. When a hare wanders into a sleeping bear’s den to avoid the snow, he is soon joined by lots of other woodland animals. They try not to wake the bear, but eventually he is jolted awake by a loud sneeze. Kids will appreciate the repeated refrain and the adorable animal illustrations.

Are You a Polar Bear? was written by Andrew Gabriel and illustrated by Catherine Suvorova. When a little polar bear cub wakes up alone in his den, he decides to set out on a journey to find his mother. Since he can’t remember what she looks like, he asks every arctic animal he meets. This is a fun way to discuss similarities and differences between different arctic animals.

The Three Snow Bears was written and illustrated by Jan Brett. This snowy take on the tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears follows Aloo-ki, a young Inuit girl. While fishing, she notices that her sled dogs are floating away. She runs after them and comes across an igloo, letting herself inside and helping herself to soup and a place to sleep. Kids and adults alike will adore Brett’s beautiful and detailed illustrations.

Bear Book

Bear Has a Story to Tell was written by Phillip C. Stead and illustrated by Erin E. Stead. Bear has a story to tell before settling in for hibernation, but all of his woodland friends are busy preparing for winter. He helps them all get ready, but falls asleep before sharing his story. When he wakes in the Spring, he finally has a chance to share, but can’t remember. This is a great way to story to teach kids about the preparations that different species make for the winter.

Dozens of Doughnuts was written by Carrie Finison and illustrated by Brianne Farley. LouAnn the bear is baking up a large batch of doughnuts to prepare for her big winter nap. But she is soon interrupted by a bunch of her friends, and she divides her doughnuts up evenly among them. When the party is over, she realizes that she didn’t save any for herself. What will she do?

Don’t Feed the Bear was written by Kathleen Doherty and illustrated by Chip Wass. The story follows an escalating argument between a bear and a park ranger. When the park ranger puts up a sign reading “Do Not Feed the Bear”. the bear gets upset and crosses out the “don’t”. Kids will appreciate the hilarity as the two characters continue battling until they both end up losing and need to call a truce.

Please Please the Bees was written by Gerald Kelly. Every morning, the bees leave a jar of honey on Benedict the Bear’s front porch. But when the bees go on strike, Benedict must start listening to the bees and learn what it is he can do to help them. This is a great story about kindness and gratitude.

Leaves was written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein. When a young bear finds leaves falling off of the trees around his home, he gets worried and tries to reattach them. But he soon falls asleep burrowed into the fallen leaves, and when he wakes up, the trees are all covered in leaves again. This story provides a great opportunity for teaching kids about the changing seasons.

In a Minute, Mama Bear was written and illustrated by Rachel Bright. Mama Bear is trying to get Bella Bear moving so they can get all their errands done, but Bella Bear is dragging her feet. So Mama Bear decides to throw out their to do list, and spend the day having fun with Bella Bear instead. Kids will love the funny ending, and the story is a great reminder to live in the moment and enjoy the little things.

Bear’s Book was written by Claire Freedman and illustrated by Alison Friend. In this sweet story, Bear has read his favorite book so many times, that it has fallen apart. So he decides to write stories of his own. When he can’t find inspiration, he goes out and starts helping his friends with their own problems, giving him the creative burst he needs.

Bear’s Scare was written and illustrated by Jacob Grant. Bear likes to keep his house clean and tidy. When he discovers a spider web in his house, he goes on a mission to find the messy spider and get rid of him. But his antics soon cause a bigger mess and an injury to his beloved stuffed animal. This is a sweet story of unexpected friendship.

The New Li-BEAR-ian was written by Alison Donald and illustrated by Alex Willmore. In this funny story, a group of children gather at the library for storytime, only to find that the librarian is missing. As they search for her, they find a big bear and decide that he must be the new librarian. When the real librarian returns, she is able to send the bear back where he belongs.

National Geographic Readers: Polar Bears was written by Laura Marsh. This nonfiction book is easy to read, with interesting facts about polar bears presented through age-appropriate text and large, detailed photographs.

Go Wild! Pandas was written by Margie Markarian. This nonfiction introduction to panda bears provides young readers with all kinds of interesting facts about panda bears. It also provides information on why pandas need our help and what we can do. The beautiful, detailed photographs are sure to interest young kids as well.

National Geographic Readers: All About Bears was written by National Kids. This easy to read nonfiction book introduces kids to all kinds of bears. The simple text is paired with large, clear photographs highlighted with colorful captions.

Ice Bear: In the Steps of the Polar Bear was written by Nicola Davies and illustrated by Gary Blythe. This book follows the journey of the polar bear as it moves through the frozen Arctic. The poetic language and detailed illustrations are both informative and soothing.

National Geographic Readers: Sleep, Bear! was written by Shelby Alinsky. This engaging nonfiction reader follows a young bear cub and his family as they prepare for hibernation. The easy to read text and clear photographs make this an engaging read for young kids, and the colorful details introduce nonficton text features in a fun way.

Explore My World: Koalas was written by Jill Esbaum. This introduction to koala bears shares interesting facts with readers as they follow a day in the life of a koala bear. The engaging text and large, clear photographs make this a great way to teach kids about koala bears.