We're going on a bear hunt by Hannah Pang

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Walker Books, 2017
We're going on a bear hunt: My adventure field guide. ISBN 9781406375954
We're going on a bear hunt: My explorer's journal. ISBN 9781406375961
(Age: 8-12) Highly recommended. These two companion titles based on the We're Going on a Bear Hunt animated film offer children a wonderful opportunity to find out about their environment while giving parents and carers a great tool to make excursions more interesting.
My Adventure Field Guide is divided into the following sections: High in the sky, Down in the ground, Further afield, Tiny plants and tall trees, Incredible Creepy Crawlies, Extraordinary creatures, Keeping on Track and The Big Wide World. There are many facts contained here with easy to understand explanations of many things that children wonder about: Why is the sky blue? Why is the sea salty? What is an insect? There are also projects that children can do like building a worm farm and making a bird cake to feed birds in winter. Some recipes that children can make with adult help are also featured. The Big Wide World section looks at ways that children can look after their environment by recycling and conserving water
My explorer's journal is a companion to the field guide and gives information on how to keep a journal. Children are given ample opportunity to record what they have seen on their outings. The book is sturdy with thick paper with plenty of room for children to write down their observations and draw what they have seen. Some activities include pasting in flowers and leaves and making a back garden den. Blank pages at the end mean that children can come up with their own ideas, drawings and collections of natural objects.
The activities are not for very young children but the familiarity of the We're going on a bear hunt book and film will still appeal to older children. The illustrations are based on the soft water colour palette by Helen Oxenbury and are very appealing.
These two books would be ideal to take on holiday as they have so many things that children would find interesting. They provide not only activities about the natural world but a wealth of information that will stimulate learning and could also be used in the classroom as a tool to encourage curiosity about the natural world.
Pat Pledger