Maurice Sendak's Little Bear TV Show Review
Nick Jr Show Teaches Preschool Social Skills and Creativity
Aug 1, 2009
Produced by Maurice Sendak, the Caldecott-winning illustrator of Else Holmelund Minarik's Little Bear books, the Nelvana Little Bear animated series uses the characters, style, gentleness, and humor of the original classic children's books both to entertain kids and to teach preschoolers social skills such as how to work together toward a goal, how to help a friend in need, and how to have fun with other people. This preschool tv show also models how to be creative and enjoy outdoor and imaginative adventures.
Maurice Sendak's Little Bear Characters
Most of the characters in the television version of Little Bear appear also in the original books. Little Bear is still a spirited and creative cub and still enjoys warm relationships with Father Bear (a fisherman) and Mother Bear (a loving figure who nonetheless retains her sometimes sharp sense of humor from the books). Little Bear's best friend, the little girl Emily, and her doll Lucy appear in both the books and the television series, as do Little Bear's other main friends, such as Owl, Duck, Cat, and Hen. Little Bear's grandparents and his (possibly imaginary) mermaid friend also appear in both versions.
Some characters have been added to the Little Bear television series, however. For example, Mitzi the Monkey creates playful complications, and Granny (Emily's grandmother) provides Emily with another human to talk to besides just the animal characters.
Nick Jr. Show Little Bear Setting and Style
Set in a forest with characters dressed in styles that were outdated even when Else Holmelund Minarik's first Little Bear I Can Read! book was published in 1957, the Noggin TV show Little Bear features settings and situations so natural and simple as to be almost timeless.
Little Bear and his friends are not distracted from from playing outside by modern inventions such television sets or video games. Instead, they spend their days working together to create everything from a wooden lemonade stand to a rain dance play, playing games together, or having adventures both real and imagined as they explore their world.
Teach Preschool Social Skills and Interpersonal Skills
The relationships between Little Bear and the various figures in his life provide the preschool audience with several models for healthy kinds of interactions with other people. Preschoolers can improve their own social skills and interpersonal skills by learning lessons from the way Little Bear and his friends and family act.
Little Bear comes from a warm, imaginative family. He and Father Bear share a close bond, with Father Bear teaching Little Bear about the stars and other subjects and allowing Little Bear to help with household projects. Mother Bear is nurturing and willing to participate in Little Bear's imaginative play, as when he pretends to travel to the moon. His parents love and educate Little Bear, providing him with a safe and strong emotional base from which he can venture into the world and to which he can return once each exploration is complete.
Little Bear's friends, in turn, play different roles. Owl is often Little Bear's partner in imaginative play, as the two friends see sea monsters and mermaids together and bump into a goblin and his runaway shoes in the forest. Emily, on the other hand, is Little Bear's best friend, the one who risks catching mumps just to cheer him up when he is sick, and the one who takes time to document their friendship in a homemade book.
From watching how the Little Bear characters play together, work through problems together, and learn together, preschoolers will begin to understand how they themselves can master the social skills and interpersonal skills needed to create and maintain strong relationships with family members and peers.
Learning Lessons from Little Bear Kids TV Program
This Noggin TV show is not educational tv in the sense of teaching standards or a set curriculum, but it does demonstrate for children how to appreciate certain quiet pleasures in life that are often overlooked. In a sea of children's programming full of loud television shows with quick-cut editing and flashy special effects, Maurice Sendak's Little Bear offers a gentle alternative.
From the soothing soundtrack of classical instruments to the everyday events depicted and celebrated in each episode, Little Bear encourages children to slow down and really pay attention to the world around them and the people in it.
Where to Watch Little Bear Episodes
Though this preschool tv show appeared originally on Nickelodeon, currently preschoolers in the United States can watch it on Noggin and kids in Canada can watch Little Bear on Treehouse TV and Treehouse On Demand. Families can also purchase Little Bear DVDs like Feel Better, Little Bear and Rainy Day Tales that collect together Little Bear episodes with related themes, as well as a generous number of bonus episodes.
Children interested in other kids tv programs about good relationships between children may enjoy watching the Nick Jr. show Max & Ruby and the Disney Channel Show Disney's Little Einsteins.
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