Bear Books in Order
Part ofKarma Wilson Books in OrderThis page lists the Bear books by Karma Wilson in order, with quick summaries, series background, and simple where-to-start guidance.
Last updated: June 6, 2026
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Publication Order
17 books
Bear Feels Sad
by Karma Wilson
2025
Bear feels lonely because all his friends are busy. A field of flowers gives him an idea, helping him turn a sad day into a chance to care for others.
Bear Finds Eggs
by Karma Wilson
2024
Mama Meadowlark’s eggs are missing, and Bear’s friends join the search. Each found egg is painted so it will not be lost again, but they still need to return them safely.
Bear Can't Wait
by Karma Wilson
2021
Bear has a surprise planned for Hare, but waiting quietly is harder than he expects. When excitement turns into a mess, Bear has to slow down and make things right before his friend arrives.
Bear Can't Sleep
by Karma Wilson
2018
Winter has come, and Bear should be deep in hibernation, but sleep will not come. His friends try tea, lullabies, and comfort in a cozy bedtime story about restlessness and care.
Big Bear, Small Mouse
by Karma Wilson
2016
Bear and Mouse explore their glen while spotting opposites all around them. Big and small, high and low, fast and slow become part of a cheerful concept book with familiar forest friends.
Bear Counts
by Karma Wilson
2015
Bear and his friends turn a walk through nature into a counting game. With rhymes, animals, and bright details to spot, the book introduces numbers in a warm, playful way.
Bear Sees Colors
by Karma Wilson
2014
Bear and Mouse walk through the woods and find colors everywhere. Young readers can search the pictures with them, naming blue, red, yellow, green, and more along the way.
Bear Says Thanks
by Karma Wilson
2012
Bear wants to thank his friends with a feast, but his cupboards are bare. As each friend arrives with something to share, Bear discovers that gratitude is not only about what you give.
Bear's Loose Tooth
by Karma Wilson
2011
During lunch with his friends, Bear feels something wiggly in his mouth. His first loose tooth scares him at first, but the forest crew helps him see it is perfectly natural.
Bear
by Karma Wilson
2009
This Bear volume brings young readers into Karma Wilson’s cozy forest world. Friendship, gentle humor, and rhythmic storytelling make Bear and his woodland friends easy companions for storytime.
Bear Feels Scared
by Karma Wilson
2008
Bear is lost in the darkening woods as the weather turns cold. His friends search high and low, showing that fear feels smaller when help is nearby.
Bear Feels Sick
by Karma Wilson
2007
Bear has the sniffles and feels too miserable to play. His friends come to the cave with tea, songs, and care in a reassuring story about being sick and loved.
Bear's New Friend
by Karma Wilson
2006
Bear hears noises in the trees while looking for his friends. The mystery leads him to a shy owl, and the forest group makes room for someone new.
Bear Stays Up for Christmas
by Karma Wilson
2004
Bear usually sleeps through winter, but his friends are determined to keep him awake for Christmas. Their holiday preparations lead Bear to discover the joy of giving.
Bear Hugs
by Karma Wilson
2004
This collection of romantically ridiculous animal rhymes plays with love, puns, and creaturely silliness. It is light, jokey, and made for readers who enjoy wordplay with their animals.
Bear Wants More
by Karma Wilson
2003
Bear wakes from hibernation thin, hungry, and ready to eat everything his friends can find. Roots, berries, clover, and fish still leave him wanting more.
Bear Snores On
by Karma Wilson
2002
While Bear sleeps through winter, animal friends crowd into his warm cave for food and company. When he finally wakes, he finds a party happening right under his nose.
Series background & context
The Bear series is Karma Wilson’s best-known picture book world, and it begins in the sort of place young readers understand right away: a warm cave, a cold night, and a great big bear who is not always ready for what his friends have planned. Bear is large, furry, and easy to love, but he is not a perfect grown-up figure. He gets hungry. He gets scared. He gets sick. He loses a tooth. He feels lonely. That is a big part of the charm.
His friends make the forest feel like a small neighborhood.
Mouse, Hare, Mole, Wren, Owl, Raven, Badger, and others come in and out of the stories, usually with good intentions and just enough bustle to keep the pages moving. In Bear Snores On, they gather in Bear’s cave while he sleeps through winter. In Bear Wants More, they help him face the huge hunger that follows hibernation. In Bear's New Friend, the group learns that a shy newcomer can become part of the circle too.
Most books in the series are built for reading aloud. Wilson uses rhyme, repetition, and a clear story shape, so children can guess, join in, and enjoy the sound of the lines even before they can follow every word. Jane Chapman’s illustrations add a lot of the warmth. The forest can be snowy, stormy, green, or bright with autumn color, but it almost always ends up feeling safe because the animals look after one another.
The stakes are small in the best picture-book sense. A loose tooth feels enormous when it is your first one. A bad cold can make a child feel left out. Waiting for a friend can be hard. The Bear books take those everyday worries seriously without making them heavy.
Later entries also stretch the series into concept books. Bear Sees Colors, Bear Counts, and Big Bear, Small Mouse use the same familiar cast to introduce colors, numbers, and opposites. These are especially useful for younger readers who already like Bear’s world but are ready for books that point, count, and name.
You do not have to read the series in strict order. Starting with Bear Snores On gives the best introduction to the cave, the rhythm, and the friendship at the center of the books. From there, families can follow the seasons, pick by topic, or simply choose the Bear story that matches the day.
Edited by
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