Review by Booklist Review
Bedtime books featuring drowsy animals are nothing new, but Asper-Smith takes advantage of a growing trend by adding a nonfiction element that both deepens the content and opens the book up for classroom integration. Each two-page spread features an illustration of an adult/child animal pair and a sweet, nonrhyming promise: If you were a little brown bat . . . I would find you on the darkest of nights. The feel-good sentiment is then explained in scientific terms via smaller text at the bottom of the page: The little brown bat uses sound at night to find its way in the dark and capture mosquitoes to eat. Though sometimes these facts pull against the cozy fantasy no, the owl isn't really staying up late to tell its offspring stories they should succeed in intriguing young readers. Watley's rough yet realistic pencil-and-watercolor art resists anthropomorphizing the characters and is refreshingly liberal with its palette: aquas for underwater whales, warm oranges for brown bears, forest greens for porcupines. Both snuggly and educational.--Kraus, Daniel Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Horn Book Review
If you were a brown bear...I would snuggle next to you all winter long." Expressions of affection between animal parents and offspring are paired with facts about each animal; some examples translate better than others to what a human child would find comforting. Watley's realistic paintings help balance the sweetness of the prose. A gentle introduction to a wide range of animals. (c) Copyright 2013. 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.
