The Bear Went Over the Mountain

by Jane Cabrera

Overview

What's over the mountain? A little bear and his best friends, of course! Story time darling Jane Cabrera puts a sweet spin on a classic children's song.

The Bear went over the mountain, / To see what he could see. / But all that he could see, / Was the other side of the mountain, / Then he got stuck up a tree! Luckily Hare is there to rescue him, followed by Fox with some tea, Wolf with the dance moves, and Owl with the final piece of the party. But wait, there's one last attendee—a young child!

Cabrera gently reveals that other side of the mountain was just up the stairs the whole time. The final spread shows the youngster all snuggled up in bed with his stuffed animal bear, hare, fox, wolf, and owl.

Jane Cabrera's Story Time celebrates children's best-loved read along nursery rhymes and songs. These interactive favorites are given a new twist by award-winning artist Jane Cabrera and feature her bold, bright, kid-friendly illustrations. Other titles in the series include The Wheels on the Bus, Old Mother Hubbard, and Old MacDonald Had a Farm.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823454655
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	05/30/2023
Series:	Jane Cabrera's Story Time
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.57(w) x 10.25(h) x 0.15(d)
Age Range:	2 - 5 Years

About the Author

Jane Cabrera is a designer and fine artist, as well as the author and illustrator of almost 60 books for children. She specializes in fresh reimaginings of nursery rhymes and fairy tales; Publishers Weekly has said "her style exudes the joy of creation." She lives beside Dartmoor National Park in South Devon, England.

Editorial Reviews

"This is a glorious answer to the question behind 'to see what he could see,' and gives children many more choruses and opportunities for practicing vocabulary. Antic, lovable scenes of smiling creatures and verses that quickly become familiar guarantee this a spot on most shelves." —School Library Journal

"Cabrera has once again made a traditional kid’s song into a storytime pleaser. It won’t take even one full read-through for kids to be singing along, and when they see themselves in the sweet twist at the close, they’ll likely giggle with glee. Her acrylic paintings are, as usual, lush and lovely. Jaunty out of the gate—such fun."—Kirkus Reviews

"While this is not the first picture book to end with a child tucked into bed along with stuffies or other toys that had been depicted as real earlier in the illustrations, it’s among the most satisfying. What’s more, the vibrant, colorful artwork turns the song into a bedtime book that’s sure to inspire encores. Can sleep be far behind? A cheerful singalong book to share with a preschool class or a single child."—Booklist

From the Publisher

12/01/2020

PreS-Gr 1—Even preschoolers know that the bear went over the mountain to see what he could see. In Cabrera's exuberant version, the bear gets stuck in a tree, attracting a hare who hops over the mountain to see where the bear can be, and then a fox dances over the mountain to join them, and so on, until a small child creeps up the steps to bed, joining all the animals in the song for slumber. It's a simple conceit but amplified for rousing story hours before that calm final scene, when the child and toy animals are all under the covers. This is a glorious answer to the question behind "to see what he could see," and gives children many more choruses and opportunities for practicing vocabulary. VERDICT Antic, lovable scenes of smiling creatures and verses that quickly become familiar guarantee this a spot on most shelves.—Kimberly Olson Fakih, School Library Journal

School Library Journal

2020-09-15
The Bear is only the first one over this mountain.

As in the rhyme of old, on a bright, sunny day, a little brown “Bear [goes] over the mountain,” where all he sees is the other side of the landmass…but he then gets stuck up a tree. “The Hare hop[s] over the mountain” next, “to see where Bear could be.” And on the other side of the mountain, Hare helps Bear out of the tree. The Fox follows, “danc[ing] over the mountain” in search of Hare. When he gets to the other side, he prepares a tea party for three. “The Wolf [runs] over the mountain” looking for Fox, and they all have a swim together. “The Owl swoop[s] over the mountain” hoping to find Wolf, and when Owl gets there, “they ha[ve] a Jamboree” under the now-starry sky. The illustrations shift from the scenes of outdoor play to the interior of a pine-tree–wallpapered home, where a curly-headed White child “cre[eps] over the mountain” (up the stairs) “to see where they could be.” Upon the page turn, the child finds all five animals (stuffies all) ready for a snuggle in bed. With this outing, Cabrera has once again made a traditional kid’s song into a storytime pleaser. It won’t take even one full read-through for kids to be singing along, and when they see themselves in the sweet twist at the close, they’ll likely giggle with glee. Her acrylic paintings are, as usual, lush and lovely.

Jaunty out of the gate—such fun. (Picture book. 2-6)

Kirkus Reviews