Bill Martin, Jr. and Eric Carle team up to produce Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

The simple and repetitive rhyming structure of the book makes it easy for young children to enjoy as they are introduced to brightly colored animals – brown bear, blue horse, yellow duck.

“Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see?”

“I see a Red Bird looking at me.” Children quickly learn the simple rhyme and are able to read along with the story.

Eric Carle’s typical bright and vibrant illustrations are captivating too – even for newborns. This is why the book is ideal for all age groups.

Tips for Parents

Depending on your child’s age, you might like to let them take part in the story-telling!

  • Point to each animal as you repeat its color and name, and eventually let your child take over. The sing-song like rhythm is contagious – children can’t help but to join in!
  • On each page, take the time to discuss each animal and the noise it makes. “The purple cat says… meow meow”.
  • Just when you thought it was over, the final page is a great summary of all the animals. Ask your child to point to each animal as you read it, or at random. When old enough, your child will be able to recite all of the animals as if reading it themselves!
  • Once your child is familiar
    with the book, they might be able to guess what animal is coming on the next page. “Red Bird, Red Bird, What do you see?” “I see a ……” Pause before you finish the sentence. You’ll be surprized how catchy and memorable the rhythm is.

    (You can give your child a clue by taking a small peek on the following page if you need to show some of the picture or color of the next animal! Or, just read out the color!)

Bill Martin, Jr

Born one of five brothers in Kansas in 1916, Bill Martin Jr became affectionately known as “America’s favorite children’s author”.

He was a teacher, a principal, and also worked at a publishing company before he became a full-time author. He wrote more than 300 children’s books over 60 years. Some of his books continued to be published even after his death in 2004.

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