Review by Booklist Review
Ages 1-4. Dedicated to the memory of Asch's recently deceased mother, this simply written, soothing bedtime yarn brims with maternal warmth and affection. Mother Bear is having a hard time getting Baby Bear to go to sleep for the winter. Like his human counterparts, Baby Bear needs something to eat and something to drink. She provides the ritual snack and drink--but then Baby Bear demands the moon. Mother Bear proves up to the task by bringing a large snowball that catches the moonlight in their cave. Asch's typically sturdy forms, pure colors, and crisp lines bring the characters to life, and he places his creatures against backdrops that pulsate with color and texture. With her creative solution, Mother Bear proves just who she is: any parent who has struggled to give a child a reassuring journey to slumberland. --Julie Corsaro
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this gentle, straightforward picture book, Mother Bear has a harder time than most parents getting her baby to sleep, as bedtime here means winter hibernation. The beleaguered mother fetches a snack and then a drink into the cave, but when Baby Bear says that he can't fall asleep without the moon, she is stumped until her resourcefulness comes to the rescue. Baby Bear's realistic bit of grumbling only makes the book seem sweeter. Asch (Barnyard Lullaby; the Moonbear books) uses a soothing palette of browns and blues: the simple bear figures are darkly outlined, and the cave's background sponged to add texture and a touch of luminosity to the cavernous tones. The story is a welcome addition to the bedtime genre, one parents will be glad to have as a resource when it's time to get their own little ones to nod off. Ages 2-6. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-A worthy addition to the many tales about recalcitrant bed-goers. Winter is coming and Baby Bear's mother leads him to their cave to hibernate. However, the cub wants a drink, a snack, and then the moon itself before he can go to sleep. Mother Bear affectionately copes with all of his demands, coming up with imaginative solutions, until Baby Bear finally settles down. Asch uses more varied art techniques than in his previous titles (sponges, acrylic paint, bristol board) and a larger format, but with the same outstanding results-a simple text, large illustrations, elegant format, and definite child appeal. Perfect for reading aloud at tucking-in time, this story will also be a good choice for units on the changing seasons.-Judith Constantinides, East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
When it's time to hibernate in a cave for the winter, Baby Bear is reluctant to change his sleeping routine. He asks for a snack, a drink, and even the moon, all of which Mama--in her way--manages to bring him. The simple, flat bear figures have a lot of personality, and the contrast between dark cave and light snow adds interest to this cozy book. From HORN BOOK Spring 1999, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
