Little Bear is a series of children's books, primarily involving the interaction of Little Bear (an anthropomorphic cub) and Mother Bear (his mother), written by Else Holmelund Minarik and illustrated by Maurice Sendak. Originally, the stories were simple, but eventually became more sophisticated in subsequent books as the plot and characters expanded. The five original Little Bear books were illustrated by Maurice Sendak. In 2010, two years before her death, Minarik published a sixth book, Little Bear and the Marco Polo, which was illustrated by Dorothy Doubleday.