As parents, we want to ensure our children receive every educational and developmental advantage possible, setting them up for success as they grow. Reading is undoubtedly one of the best activities imaginable for sparking curiosity, aiding development, bonding, and encouraging imagination, making it a great literacy activity for kids.

Bears are among the most popular topics for kids of all ages, thanks to their cuddly cuteness, hilarious antics, and friendly faces. If you’re looking for the best bear children’s books to read to your little one or listen to on the Yoto Player or TonieBox, this list has the top choices organized by age, so you can find one your child will love!

In this post:

• Why Reading to Your Children is so Important
• Best Bear Books for Ages 0 to 2
• Best Bear Books for Ages 3 to 5
• Best Bear Books for Ages 6+

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Why Reading to Your Children is so Important

When you read aloud to your child, you are taking an active part in encouraging proper brain and language development.

Reading:

• Exposes children to new and unique words, allowing them to grasp language faster than those who aren’t read to.
• Helps them learn new concepts about the world.
• Increases vocabulary.
• Encourages imagination and develops creativity.
• Can help with academic performance.
• Picture books stimulate the brain and aid in eye/ hand contact, so don’t hesitate to start reading even when your child is an infant.
• Builds a strong bond between caregiver and child.
• Creates a love of books that helps drive learning to read.

One of the best parts about bear books is the incorporation of nature, which helps kids develop a love of the outdoors at an early age. Many bear stories teach kids that connecting with nature has many benefits and encourages them to disconnect from their electronics and explore the world around them. Children of all ages, including babies and infants, are never too young to develop respect, appreciation, and adoration for nature.

• Protip: Set up a cozy reading nook at home to encourage reading!

The Best Bear Books By Age

Below is a list of 25 of the best bear books broken down by age that are fun for the whole family.

Bear Books For Children Ages 0 to 2 Years Old

For kids this age, select sturdy board books that can hold up to lots of use by little hands. This will allow kids to handle the books and practice turning the pages independently.

Orange Pear Apple Bear – Author Emily Gravett

This incredibly simple book features various combinations of the words “orange, pear, apple, bear” and bright illustrations. It is the perfect choice to read again and again with babies and toddlers. Your children will soon begin “reading” the book to you!

Brown Bear And Friends Series – Authors: Bill Martin Jr/ Eric Carle

Brown Bear And Friends is a series of board books about bears featuring eclectic illustrations and rhyming stories. Each book expertly incorporates interactive texts through the use of questions and answers, encouraging little ones to use critical thinking skills. Every page is full of bright colors that grab the attention and age-appropriate wording that’s easy for developing brains to understand.

The entire collection includes four books, beautifully illustrated and perfect for bedtime, naptime, or throughout the day.

The Brown Bear Collection:

• “Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?”

• “Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?”

• “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?”

• “Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See?”

I Love You, Daddy – Authors Kristina Stephenson And Jillian Harker

I Love You, Daddy is a heartwarming story of encouragement and support between a child and his father. The story follows Little Bear as he heads out on an adventure but soon finds he needs some help. His daddy is there to help him out and give him the courage to keep going, showcasing parents’ unconditional love for their children.

The perfect book for a little boy or girl with beautiful illustrations and easy-to-read wording, you’re little one will love reading this sweet book over and over again!

Bizzy Bear: Space Rocket – Author Benji Davies

If you’re looking for a fun and colorful book to read to our kids Bizzy Bear: Space Rocket takes toddlers through an exciting interactive space adventure. They will love following along with Bizzy Bear, Mouse, and Rabbit, as they take off into space and explore everything it offers. Inspire their imaginations and cultivate a love for space and exploring using bright colors and adorable illustrations.

Your little one will enjoy the short rhymes that keep their attention and the adorable pictures throughout this easy-to-read board book.

I Love Your To The Moon And Back – Author Tim Warnes And Amelia Hepworth

Bring your love for your child to life with this beautiful book highlighting the love a parent and child share. Follow along with Bear and cub as they spend the day together, making memories like climbing a mountain, looking at lights, splashing in the water, and snuggling in bed.

Kids will enjoy the gentle rhyming that makes the words come to life, and parents will appreciate the personalization page at the book’s beginning, making it the perfect gift. If you’re looking for the perfect bedtime story about bears, you’ll definitely want to check out I Love You To The Moon And Back.

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Bear Books For Children Ages 3 to 5 Years Old

Corduroy – Author Don Freeman

Corduroy is one of the most well-known children’s books, celebrating fifty years in print. Many parents will remember reading it themselves as children, making it even more special when reading it to their children. Corduroy follows the story of a young girl, her bear, and their friendship.

Featuring beautifully illustrated pages with bright colors and an unforgettable tale your children will love and treasure, Corduroy will be a beloved classic for generations to come.

I Want My Hat Back – Author Jon Klassen

Kids everywhere count I Want My Hat Back as one of their all-time favorite books about bears, thanks to its unique illustrations and funny storyline. The main character notices that their hat has gone missing and, using politeness and patience, sets out to find where it has gone. They meet friends along the way who help them solve the mystery of the missing hat but not before encountering a few mishaps.

Kids and adults will enjoy the wit, humor, and cheeky dialogue throughout this cute and well-written book.

Grrrrr! – Author Rob Biddulph

Grrrrr! is an excellent book for introducing the concepts of competing, cheating, winning, and friendship. Through fun pictures and an easily followable storyline, you can introduce your child to a very important concept by making it fun and understandable. This exciting story will allow you to talk to your kids about honesty and the importance of friendship while enjoying the bright illustrations throughout.

Another plus is a video released by the author teaching kids how to draw the characters within these fun pages.

Goldy Luch and the Three Pandas – Author Grace Zong And Natasha Yim

Taking place in contemporary Chinatown, Goldy Luch and the Three Pandas is a modern take on the classic Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Follow along as Goldy Luck, a young girl who is very unlucky, is on a mission to deliver turnip cakes to her neighbor’s home. She discovers they aren’t there, and when the turnip cake falls, everything begins going wrong in this series of unfortunate events.

Ultimately, Goldy humbles herself, asks for forgiveness, and makes everything right, providing a great lesson on integrity for young kids.

Blueberries for Sal – Author Robert McCloskey

This classic picture book is a Caldecott Honor Book and has remained at the top of book lists since its publication in 1948. In Blueberries for Sal, a mother and a child named Sal go blueberry picking. On the same hill, a mother bear and cub eat blueberries to prepare for winter. Soon Sal and the bear cub get mixed up with the wrong mother before all is set right at the end of the book.

The sweet block-printed illustrations are captivating for children and parents alike.

Little Bear – Author Elsa Holmelund Minarik 

Little Bear has been a favorite character of children for generations. Each book in the set contains four sweet stories that range from flying to the moon to making new friends to getting ready for Little Bear’s birthday. The stories feature a strong bond between Little Bear and his supportive mother, beautiful illustrations by Maurice Sendek, and simple language.

These level-one readers are perfect for kids to begin reading on their own or an excellent read-aloud for younger children.

The set contains:

• Little Bear
• Father Bear Comes Home
• Little Bear’s Visit

All About Bears – National Geographic Kids

If your child loves nature and wildlife, they’re sure to adore National Geographic Kids All About Bears. The entire book features stories about real bears in different locations, including polar bears and the infamous Polar Bear Island!

This book features minimal text and is an excellent choice for the developing young reader. Your kids may not be able to see a real bear in person, but this exciting and colorful book will bring the animals to life!

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Bear Books For Children Ages 6 And Up

Winnie-the-Pooh – Author A.A. Milne

Winnie-the-Pooh is a lovable, cuddly character known to all, but many people have not read the original books by A.A. Milne. These heartwarming books are broken up into stories of the adventures of Pooh and his friends in the Hundred Acre Woods. From Pooh getting stuck in Rabbit’s front door to Eeyore losing his house, each story has several black and white illustrations and is unfused with the simple and calm nature of Winnie-the-Pooh.

The language of the stories is beautiful and witty, making them a fun read-aloud for children and adults to enjoy. Winnie-the-Pooh is an excellent way to expose children to good writing.

The set contains:

• Winnie-the-Pooh
• The House at Pooh Corner

The Berenstain Bears And The Trouble With Chores – Author Stan And Jan Berenstain

The Berenstain Bears are one of the best-known children’s book series about bears, following the beloved Berenstain family as they navigate life together. In their book “The Trouble With Chores,” the young cubs have decided they no longer want to do their chores and want to spend their days doing more exciting activities. Mama Bear hatches a plan to play along and teach her cubs a lesson they will never forget!

With familiar illustrations and heartwarming messages, many children have fallen in love with this sweet family of bears. Be sure to check out all three hundred books in this classic series and see what exciting hijinks the Berenstain family will get into next.

The Bear and the Piano – Author David Litchfield

The Bear and the Piano is a whimsical story of a baby bear who finds a piano in the woods and learns to play. Follow along on his self-discovery journey as your child learns the power of following their dreams. Beautifully written, it’s sure to become one of your family’s favorite stories you’ll want to read again and again.

Paddington – Author Michael Bond

It wouldn’t be an article on books about bears without talking about Paddington! Paddington follows a young bear as he makes his way from his home in the darkest Peru on a journey to find the one thing he wants most of all: the perfect home and family in London. Equipped with his trusted Marmalade sandwich, Paddington gets into a load of mischief on his search before finding the perfect family and realizing the best kind of adventure is the one that leads you home.

Bears – National Geographic

This National Geographic reader is a step up from the abovementioned one and is perfect for 6 to 9-year-old kids. Each page features paragraphs of amazing bear facts and beautiful color photographs. Animal-loving kids will enjoy browsing this book again and again.

While the book features too much text for younger kids, they will still love looking at all the pictures and hearing parts read aloud.

Final Thoughts on Bear Children’s Books

There are so many wonderful children’s books about bears, bringing these incredible animals to life. Whether read aloud or independently, kids of all ages are endlessly interested in learning more about bears.

So tonight, your kids can cuddle up with their favorite teddy bears and reading pillows and stay awake a little later as you create memories reading their favorite books about bears!

• Looking for more great books? Check out our favorite Montessori books for toddlers!