Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury are set to publish a new book in 2027. The pair will return to the classic ‘bear hunt’ story with a festive take, almost four decades after the publications of the original.
Writer, poet and professor of children’s literature, Michael Rosen, and two-time Kate Greenaway Medal winning illustrator and children’s writer, Helen Oxenbury first teamed up in 1989 for We’re Going on a Bear Hunt. The story was adapted and retold from a children’s chant that Rosen had been incorporating into his school poetry shows.
In the 38 years that followed its publication, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt has won numerous awards, been adapted for theatre and TV, been translated into over 40 languages, and sold more than 16.5 million copies worldwide. According to the Guinness Book of Records (2016), it has never been out of print and each year has featured in the 5,000 bestselling books.
Oxenbury and Rosen recently collaborated again with the publication of Oh Dear, Look What I Got! (2025), but 2027 will mark the first time the author and illustrator duo will bring the action-filled rhyming ‘Bear Hunt’ chant back for a sequel.
Information from the publisher, Walker Books, states that the new book will feature the same much-loved family as first introduced in the original picture book. This time though, the story will be given a festive twist.
“We’re Going on a Christmas Bear Hunt is a brand-new adventure from the world of a n award-winning modern classic. Retaining the rhythm, rhyme, repetition and onomatopoeia of the original story the family face a series of challenges to overcome and discover different festive creatures on each spread and introduces an exciting new character – Baby Bear!”
We’re Going on a Christmas Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury published September 9th 2027.
