Stunning illustrations, predictable patterns, and warm storytelling. These are three ingredients needed to create unforgettable Eric Carle books. Eric Carle books invite you in like a cozy embrace, making you feel welcome, seen, and loved. Their wholesome and simplistic nature teaches us that not all things need to be glitzy and glamorous to shine. Eric Carle books radiate perfection without having to shout it in your face.
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? is a beautiful collaboration between Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle, with Martin’s rhythmic text and Carle’s signature collage illustrations bringing the story to life. In this lovely story, you are immediately transported into this beautiful and friendly world where all beings are welcome no matter their size, shape, or color. Watch your child fall in love with one of the greatest Eric Carle books and a bonafide classic, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
In this post, you’ll find four literacy activities related to Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? These activities will lift the story right off the pages and have your child thinking critically through imaginative play and thoughtful games. You and your child will work on inference, sequencing, identifying coloring, and “spying.” I can guarantee you’ll learn, laugh, and connect, the pillars of My Book Bud. So, open up! What do you see??
Table of Contents
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
Author: Bill Martin Jr.
Illustrator: Eric Carle
Published by Doubleday & Company, 1967
Summary: Open your eyes, you might just see something beautiful! This rhythmic, repetitive story invites young readers to follow a colorful parade of animals, each one spotting the next. With lively illustrations by Eric Carle and a predictable pattern that encourages participation. This story serves as a joyful introduction to animal names, colors, and early reading skills.
Skills to Tackle (with Eric Carle Books – Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?):
Inference: Best for ages 4-6
An inference is when a reader makes an educated guess about something the author does not directly state in the text. The reader must use the evidence from the text and their own background knowledge to make an inference. We make inferences even when we are not reading, making it such an important skill to practice.
Inference Example:
You could make the inference that your daughter loves her birthday present because she had a huge smile on her face when she opened it and won’t go anywhere without it.
She didn’t have to tell you she loves it. You made the inference based on the evidence of her not letting it go and your background knowledge of your child’s favorite toys and how she treats them.
Inference with Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
This story, like most Eric Carle books, is so fun and simple! Each animal spots another animal, but what if we as the reader stopped to think about if this really makes sense! Does it make sense that a brown bear would spot a red bird? Yes, probably! But could a goldfish spot a teacher? Hmmm, now this one seems less likely. And what about those animals with the wacky colors? Where do they fit in?
You and your child can make inferences about these animals and if the story could actually be logical or just a silly tale!
Example Conversation:
- Parent: There’s lots of cool animals in this book! What animal do we see first and what does it spot next?
- Child: A brown bear sees a red bird!
- Parent: Oh, right! Do you think a brown bear would actually spot a red bird in the wild?
- Child: Yes!
- Parent: Oh, where would a brown bear see a red bird?
- This is important because this is where the inference will take place.
- Child: Well, both animals live in the woods! So a brown bear could spot a red bird in the forest!
- This requires a lot of background knowledge, so talk through both animal’s habitats if necessary. You may even want to model this inference for them if it seems a little challenging for them.
- Parent: Yeah! How about this one? Do you think a yellow duck could spot a blue horse?
- Child: Definitely not!
- Parent: Wait, I thought they both lived on a farm. So why doesn’t this one work?
- Child: Because there’s no such thing as a blue horse! Maybe if it was a brown horse, it would make sense!
- Parent: Oh, good point! Why do you think the author made the horse blue and not brown?
- Child: Maybe because he already used the color brown for the bear, or maybe he just really likes the color blue!
- This is a stretch question, but it is one that will challenge your child to really think about some of the decisions an author makes when writing a book.
Use this same process for all of the animals in the book. Some will make sense and some will not! That’s what makes this a fun inference game! Eric Carle books are chock full of beautiful and vibrant pictures and illustrations. Some make sense and some are totally wild! It’s fun to stop, notice, and talk it through with your child.
Sequence: Best for ages 3-5
Eric Carle books are often repetitive, bold, and predictable, making them a great starting point for building many early literacy skills such as sequencing.
Because there is no actual plot to this book and the animals are mentioned in a very particular order, this is a great book to practice the skill of sequencing. Since the structure is repetitive and predictable, it’s ideal for helping young children learn how to retell a story in order.
Sequencing is the ability to put things in the correct order. This skill will help lay the foundation for critical thinking, recognizing plot, and comprehending more complex texts in the future.
Print out or draw the animals from the book. Get your child involved by having them color the animals in! You and your child can practice putting the animals from this book in the correct order while using specific sequence words to help them do so.
Example Conversation:
- Parent: Ok! What is the first animal in this book?
- Child: A brown bear!
- Parent: Yes, let’s find the bear and put it down. What comes next?
- If your child doesn’t know off the top of their head, encourage them to use the book. Even though this seems like cheating, it actually teaches them the important skill of using the text for evidence.
- Child: A red bird!
- Parent: Yes! What comes after that?
Be intentional with your verbiage. Using words like first, next, after, and last help them understand that there is a specific sequence to the text.
Do this activity all the way until the end. The sequence should be:
- brown bear —> red bird —> yellow duck —> blue horse —> green frog —> purple cat —> white dog —> black sheep —> goldfish —> teacher —> kids.
Challenge Questions!
Once you’ve done it all through at least once, try adding in some challenges. Ask:
- What goes “in between” the purple cat and the black sheep?
- What is the “final” animal?
- What comes “before” the teacher?
If you’ve read the book multiple times and your child has a strong grasp of the sequence the animals go in, see if they can try putting the animals in the correct sequence without the book’s help!
Use these sequence words throughout the day with your kids! Sequencing words aren’t just for stories, they’re helpful in everyday routines, too! My kids are always asking what we’re doing next or what comes after something else.
Using words like these will help them know what to expect as the day progresses and how to look back and reflect on the day.
Ask questions or use prompts like:
- After lunch we are taking our nap.
- In between naps and dinner, we can watch a show.
- Before bedtime, we are taking a bath.
This activity is a great visual way for your kids to start building their understanding of sequencing! Eric Carle books offer youngsters a way to practice complex skills within their own comfort zone.
Free Printable!
Use the free printable below and cut out the animals and sequence them in the correct order from Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Use the book for support, or challenge yourself to complete it from memory!
The animals are intentionally left blank so you can color them yourself. Use the colors from the story, or take a page out of Eric Carle’s book and create your own imaginative combinations!
Colors: Best for ages 2.5-5
Just like all true Eric Carle books, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? is a beautiful spectacle of animals bursting across the pages in a rainbow of colors.
Most colors of the rainbow are represented with a few additions making each animal pop and shine!
You and your child can identify the colors, but also determine which colors are “expected” or “unexpected” on each animal. This activity goes beyond naming colors, it helps kids think like authors and notice creative choices in storytelling.
Example Conversation:
- Parent: There are so many beautiful colors in this book! It’s like a rainbow of animals. Let’s look at a picture of a rainbow and see if we can spot all of the colors!
- Parent: The first color I see in the rainbow is red. Can you find a red animal?
- Child: A red bird!
- Gold=goldfish
- Yellow=duck
- Green=frog
- Blue=horse
- Purple=cat
- Parent: I noticed there are some colors that aren’t in the rainbow in the book too!
- Child: Yeah! Like a brown bear, a white dog, and a black sheep!
- Parent: So many beautiful colors! Something else stood out to me. Some of the animals have really surprising colors. Like, I know bears are brown, but some of the animals have colors I didn’t expect. Can you find those animals?
- Child: Like the blue horse and purple cat!
- Parent: Yeah! Why do you think the author chose those colors?
- This is definitely a stretch question so work through this with your child. There could be many reasons so be open to lots of answers!
- Child: Maybe because he already used those colors? Like he already used brown for the bear so he couldn’t use it for the horse and he already used white for the dog so he couldn’t use it for the cat!
Expand the Activity!
Expand on the activity by having them draw or color their own animals and tell them to pick any color they want! Challenge them by telling them to pick a color that’s not in the book! My girls love pink so a pink elephant would be represented!
This is a great way to end the activity as it shows them how much authority authors have over their stories. This activity will teach your child so much more than just color recognition. They will be challenged to think deeper and more critically about the text and the world they know around them.
Eric Carle books are so beautifully illustrated, so noticing the colors and the creative choices made by the author will help lay the foundation for deep and critical thinking by your child in the future.
Expansion Activity: Best for ages 3-7
“Kait-lin Kait-lin, what do you see?” My kids absolutely love to play “I Spy.” We play almost every night at dinner. Because they’re still little, they end up doing the same clues over and over again. Their favorite clue is “I spy something blue,” and it’s always the sky! Or they’ll give the same clue my husband or I just did right before that and claim that it’s a “really hard one.” It always gives me a little chuckle, but when it’s my turn, I try to challenge them to think beyond just the standard clues to help push their thinking outside of the box.
For this activity, you are going to use the same principles from “I Spy,” but sing it to the tune of “Brown Bear Brown Bear.” You start the game so you can model for them.
Example Conversation:
- Parent: Mommy, mommy, what do you see?
- Parent: I see a black rectangle looking at me.
- Instead of giving the explicit answer like they do in the book, try giving a clue like “I Spy” and see if your child and guess what the clue is about.
- Make sure to pause and give your child time to think about the clue. You can play the “hot/cold” game or give more clues if necessary.
- Child: A T.V.!
- Parent: Mommy, mommy, what do you see?
- Parent: I see a gold circle looking at me.
- Child: The doorknob!
Once you’ve modeled for them a few times, give your child a chance to be the clue giver. This is a great way for your child to observe their surroundings, practice shapes and colors, and be a little silly. You don’t have to use shapes either. Look around your house and find obvious and challenging clues, such as: a spiky green plant (cactus), an indoor windmaker (fan), or a porcelain throne (toilet – and a crowd pleaser)! Be sure to use lots of adjectives (describing words) in your clues as it will help the guesser but also help in expanding their vocabulary!
This activity is easily adapted for all ages and can be done anywhere! Happy “spying!”
To Wrap Things Up:
Well, go on, what did you see?? I’m sure now you can understand that not all books are made equal. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? is a wonderful reminder that sometimes simple is better, and nobody does that better than Eric Carle books. So, curl up with your child and get reading. The animals in Brown Bear, Brown Bear are waiting for you!
Join and connect! Learn how to “water” your growing book bud with connection. For tips and ideas sent straight to your inbox, just add your email below.
