When I was browsing a website for children’s English books, I stumbled upon（出くわす） a book I used to read as a kid.
The title is “Bears in the Night.”
It has been a bestseller for decades, so some of you might be familiar with it.
Feeling nostalgic, I ended up buying it online.
It’s a small, compact book, and the storyline is so simple that children can read it easily.
Seven little bears wake up in the night, sneak out of bed（ベッドからこっそり抜け出す）, and go on an adventure outside.
Then, on the hill, they’re startled by a big owl’s loud hoot（ふくろうの鳴き声）, rush home, and jump back into bed.
What makes it so good is that it uses prepositions（前置詞） of place over and over—like “under the bridge,” “between the rocks,” and “up the hill”—helping children pick them up naturally.
Another great thing is that the whole story uses only 24 different words.
The illustrations have a very old-fashioned touch, and the little bears’ faces look so mischievous（いたずらっぽい）.
It gently stirs children’s sense of adventure.
If you have little kids and want them to get familiar with English books, I highly recommend this one as a first step.
