- Picture Books
- Ages 2–6
- Adventure
We're Going on a Bear Hunt
A chant-aloud picture-book classic with mud, grass, snow, a cave and one very memorable bear. Essential for toddlers and preschoolers because the rhythm, repetition and physical sound effects make the whole book feel like a game.
- Best for2–6
- FormatPicture
- Length40 pp
- Read aloud~8 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Repetitive
- Onomatopoeic
- Conversational
- Comedic
Tone
- Funny
- Adventurous
- Silly
- Warm
- Suspenseful
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
A family sets off on a bear hunt, moving through long wavy grass, a deep cold river, thick oozy mud, a dark forest, a swirling snowstorm and finally a gloomy cave. The story is simple, but the performance value is enormous: children can chant the repeated lines, join in with sound effects and feel the suspense build with every obstacle. Michael Rosen's text has become one of the great read-aloud rhythms in children's books, while Helen Oxenbury's illustrations give the family warmth, movement and just enough wildness. The encounter with the bear is exciting rather than truly frightening, and the final dash home is a perfect release. This is a non-negotiable classic: superb for language, movement, group reading, family reading and reluctant young listeners.
“We're going on a bear hunt. We're going to catch a big one. What a beautiful day! We're not scared.”
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 2–6
- Read aloud · 1–7
- Independent · 5–7
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Excellent
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Bedtime
- Reading together
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
4 / 5 · Bedtime-friendly
Sensitive-child
4 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Read aloud classic
- Repetition
- Movement reading
- Family adventure
- Toddlers
Avoid if
- Very sensitive to bears
- Wants quiet text
- Prefers low repetition
Particularly good for children who are…
- Reluctant reader
- Nightmares or fears
- Starting nursery or preschool
In the classroom
How it works in school.
The classic action read-aloud — made for chanting, acting out and joining in, with a rhythmic, repeating journey to sequence and predict.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The specific charm is the sound effects — swishy swashy, splash splosh, squelch squerch, stumble trip — and the fact that a three-year-old joins in within thirty seconds. The chant builds suspense, the cave brings the bear, and the run home is one of the great satisfying releases in picture books.
- Adventure and freedom
- Family belonging
- Surviving danger
Why parents love it
The most physically active read-aloud in the UK picture-book canon — by the third page children are doing the actions, by the fifth they're shouting along, by the bear they're running. A standard part of UK Reception, and rightly so. Reads better the louder and more theatrically you do it.
- Nostalgia
- Shared humour
- Bedtime appropriate
- Beloved classic
About the creators
About the creators.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
More like this…
Books that share themes and topics with this one.
Where you’ll find it
On these reading lists.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
- Bookshop.org ↗
- Waterstones ↗
- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
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