To hate We’re Going On A Bear Hunt

I know Judith Kerr said once in an interview that it was just about a Tiger Coming to Tea, but I took that to be similar to the conclusion of Life of Pi. Maybe it's better to frame it that way.
If you read her 'When Hitler stole Pink Rabbit' they did leave very swiftly. And the build up to the war was like being a boiled frog, first they put in some restrictions, then more, then more, before you found yourself with nothing left.
if I was trying to get my kids out of a1930s Nazi controlled area , much safer to pretend a Tiger was coming to tea and if he did, we'd give him all the beer, get hold of dad and walk calmly away.

The bear hunt is the family going for a walk that no one wants to go on so they're making stuff up to try and make it fun. There's not really a snow storm, or a bear. It works. The children all get outside for fresh air and then they go home to get snuggly.

The mum is so sick of being ignored by her husband that she trashes the house so he's forced to take her out for dinner. Facts.

It’s full of valuable life lessons on how not to get screwed over on pay!

Not a fan of bear hunt here, mainly because it makes no sense. How can it be a lovely day if there is a snow storm?!

I do like the Tiger that Came to Tea but often change the “there was nothing for Daddy’s supper, he’ll have to make his own”.

Other ones I like are owl babies, Julia Donaldson books (Highway Rat, Monkey Puzzle and Gruffalo are my favs) Winnie the Witch, Hungry Caterpillar, Octopants. Not a fan of Thomas the Tank Engine, The Invisible String (too American), all the Bluey books and Paw patrol ones that came in the works bundles that people have bought us, they are just awful I hide them.

That’s an interesting take on it!

Someone once told me that The Tiger Who Came to Tea (which is now quite old) was actually racist.

She said that the friendly Tiger wad meant to represent immigrants coming from
the Indian Subcontinent (hence tiger!) which then eats the nice English family out of all of their resources before moving on.

I must confess I never thought anything political of this book, whether as a kid or an adult, until it was pointed ojt to
me.

Maybe I’m just a bit daft?

Next we’ll be hearing that the Very Hungry Catterpillar is a piece of pro-trans propaganda!

Some believe the tiger is a metaphor for the Gestapo.

I agree, hated it and fortunately so did DD, so I didn’t have to read it too often.

I hate it. It’s my worst one

😂😂 you clearly missed the point!

Shout out for Peace at Last. Infinitely quotable, but I mostly use "it was cold in the car, and uncomfortable," on a regular basis. The dad looks so knackered by the end.

I'm on the employee's council at work and we do wage negotiation. I'm buying that for all my colleagues!

I liked the book but the film that added the backstory of a dying relative was just depressing IMHO.

Love Bear Hunt. I really enjoy singing it with my 3 year old granddaughter and listening to her singing along. We're not scared! I'm waiting for her to be old enough for "The Cross With Us Rhinoceros".

That's a weird place for your mind to go.

I love the Paper Dolls. It's about love and loss and grief and how we can still have memories of the people and things we loved. I think it's a beautiful story

Ive got a soft spot for going through a bear hunt.
My DC loved it, when I wanted to get them to hurry up walking to pre school we used to recite it a DS used to do the actions.
Lived in quiet non judgemental village as we probably looked a bit mad!

I hated Bear Hunt. Can I add My Cat Likes To Hide In Boxes and The Giant Jam Sandwich as books that can be read again, and again, and...

We did a version at school before the book came out, but it was spoken , not sung and called Lion Hunt. "We're going on a Lion Hunt. Want to come? Yeah! " then "Uh-Oh! River! Splish splash" and so on.

Omg OP, totally agree. The phrasing and makes me irrationally angry.

We used to sing it in school (as a teacher) before the book came out, Michael Rosen adapted it. He has also said he didn't write the bit about the bear being sad at the end, that was added by the illustrator but the children always love it.

Wasn’t the tiger who came to tea written by an author who grew up in occupied Germany and would have visits from the SS, who would search the house and take what they want and her mum had to bend over backwards to be nice to them, it’s a child making a scary situation into a game in her imagination?

No way

No! Bear Hunt is a work of genius. Always used to read the reverse journey very fast and panicky. It’s a bit of mild peril with lots of opportunities for making silly noises.

Nest ever though was a niche one called When mum turned in to a monster. Now THAT is deep. Like the Large Family it’s great for tired parents to feel seen. 😁

i loved the dog in bear hunt

The repetitiveness is kind of the point, so crucial to early language learning. 2.5 DS loves it and can often be heard in his cot "reading" it to himself. We often reference it / quote it and act it out when we're having little adventures outside too.

Its actually an American camp song / chant. Michael Rosen just added the last bit about running home and going upstairs. (Which is arguably the weakest part of the story, but I still like the guy.)