Maurice Sendak's Little Bear

TV show · 1995

This report covers the full series (Seasons 1–5, 1995–2003). Little Bear is one of the gentlest shows in the preschool canon: soft watercolor-style animation, nature-rooted storytelling, and a warm, close-knit family at its heart. The very occasional ghost story or spooky-play episode sits well within imaginative play territory and resolves happily.

A lovely fit from around age 2 up, and one of the rare shows parents tend to enjoy alongside their little ones.

Scary imageryPeril & tensionLoss & griefLoud or startling soundsOld-school gender roles

Episodes to know about

Scary imageryPilot (S1E0): Little Bear and the Rainstorm NightMild

Little Bear is frightened alone in his room during a loud thunderstorm at night; resolves when he settles back to sleep.

Scary imageryS1E11: The Goblin StoryMild

Grandfather Bear tells Little Bear a story featuring a goblin; entirely within a cozy storytelling frame and not presented as real.

Loud or startling soundsS1E11: Little Bear and the WindMild

Howling wind wakes Little Bear at night; Mother Bear soothes him with a story, and the moment passes quickly.

5 more moments are in the full report. See all of them, checked against your own family’s settings, in Little Longer.