 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Little Bear
- Nick Jr.
- Genre: Kids' Animation
Common Sense Media says
Gentle, age-appropriate viewing for preschoolers.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this series is gentle, conscientious, and family-oriented. The pace is perfect for young viewers, and the plot is appropriately concise. Though the educational content is sparse, the characters' utter involvement with nature is a welcome variance from the computer-and-robot themes that dominate so many cartoons for children. Reading Homelund's book and comparing it with the TV series might be a way to delve further into this idyllic realm.
What's the story?
LITTLE BEAR was introduced to the public as a collaborative effort between author Else Holmelund and legendary illustrator Maurice Sendak. First appearing on television in 1995, Little Bear's mixture of playfulness and heart gained a healthy following.
Is it any good?
Animal lovers will enjoy the characters who pal around with Little Bear: There's Cat, who can be crafty around baby birds; Duck, who loves potato salad; Owl, who can at times feel insecure; and Lucy, a little girl who plays with the bunch during the summertime. Mama Bear and Papa Bear trust Little Bear to play with his friends unattended in the forest. Perhaps this reminder of times gone by -- when playing croquet, having picnics, and swimming in the local watering hole were part of daily life -- is the most attractive aspect of this series. If Little Bear inspires families to enjoy such pastoral pleasures, then all the better.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about what it would be like to play outside all the time like Little Bear and his friends do. What would life be like without television, video games, and computers?
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
AGE
perfect for all ages 1 through 120
beat show on earth, people should live like little bear, if they did they the world would be a lot better.
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AGE
Peaceful fun...
Little Bear is, as CSM says, "gentle, age-appropriate viewing for preschoolers". It really calms the mind and is tons of fun for little ones. It's a peaceful, fun environment filled with interesting, funny characters. It's not annoying, like Yo Gabba Gabba (that's for sure). In fact, I even use it sometimes to help me fall asleep. The music is mellow, the atmosphere is quiet. and the characters aren't loud and obnoxious. But anyways, it's just really good, probably one of the best baby shows I've seen (don't ask me why I watch this). The role models are pretty decent and there are a few lessons. Little Bear and his friends love to play together. In other words, I recommend this to all.
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AGE
Lovely series for very young, endearingly sweet for anyone!
I stumbled across our first Little Bear video at the hospital when my son had just turned one, and he's loved it since (he's 3 now)! It's so simple, sweet, calm, fun and silly, inspiring friendly, loving, imaginative and adventurous ideas. I can't overstate how clean and feel-good wholesome the stories and interactions are between all the characters... and how gently simple(but not patronizing, empty, sappy or baby-ish)and subtle the "lessons" or examples are.
Impressive. Charming. Sweet. Perfect.
There are a very few episodes that have been scary for my son...Father Bear's encounter with the angry wind, a "monster" story around the camp fire, and a couple of others. I think it's fine for there to be some that are outside of our comfort zone...we'll grow into them.
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AGE
overall very appropriate and cute. buuuut....
there are some perilous moments - like when Little Bear and Owl imagine they are fishing on the high seas and catch an enormous, ferocious whale with gigantic teeth who threatens to eat them (yikes!!!), and the episode with the dragon which sent my 2 and 4 year olds shreaking from the room. Little Bear is the first show my children have ever seen. We have avoided media 100% with them - until now, and Little Bear has been a great choice, but parents show preview each episode for frightening content. Otherwise, it is brilliant. I only mention this because I haven't seen anyone else say anything about it, and I wish I had had a warning. Don't hesitate to allow little ones to watch it, just get familiar with the content first.
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AGE
I don't care for the show. Personally, I find that Little Bear is a rather selfish character. BUT, my son likes it, so I make sure to watch that stupid show with him in case it gets to the point I have to explain that its not right to be selfish.
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AGE
Behold the most calming toon on TV
Hands down the best toon on TV for young ones. Has a wonderful calming effect on our kids. And the animals are all great role models - polite and kind to one another. And Duck is pretty damned funny. :-)
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AGE
Perfect for little kids new to TV
This show has become a staple in our house -- our twin two year olds would rather watch this show (and read the "Little Bear" books) than do almost anything else! The characters are well-developed for a children's series, it isn't dumbed-down for toddlers or preschoolers, and it has VERY positive messages. It's also slow-paced -- there's no frenetic, MTV-style editing here -- which is great for toddlers watching TV for the first time. Our girls didn't watch TV at all until after they turned two, so we've been very selective in what they've seen. I would recommend this just as highly as I would Sesame Street; it's that good.
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AGE
A+++ for toddlers & pre-schoolers
My son has been watching this show since he was 2 (now just turned 4) and he still looks forward to it. Now my daughter who is almost 2 loves it as well. It is one of those gentle & quiet kind of shows that gets my kids in the settle down mode. There is absolutely nothing to worry about when they watch this show. If anything, it coaxed my son into learning all the names of the characters and made him ask questions. All good stuff for ages 2 to 4.
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AGE
Unique and calming!
I agree with some other posters who describe Little BEar as being "calming". It really is! I would put this on when my kids were infants to help calm them down, and to this day, I find it to be a fun, relaxing and very mellow cartoon. The animal characters are realistically drawn and the background music is very charming.
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| Topics: | book characters, friendship, wild animals |
| TV rating: | TV-Y |
| Network: | Nick Jr. |
| Cast: | Janet-Laine Green, Kristin Fairlie, Tara Strong |
| Genre: | Kids' Animation |
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