Little Bear

Else Holmelund Minarik's Little Bear stories, illustrated by Maurice Sendak, follow a small bear at home with Mother Bear, Father Bear and his friends through the ordinary business of childhood — a fishing trip, a visit to grandparents, a letter to be answered. The first book, published in 1957, launched Harper's I Can Read line and set the template for the beginning reader: short sentences, four quiet chapters, and no condescension. Four more followed between 1959 and 1968. The five were later the basis for an animated television series.