Review by Booklist Review
Dozy is a little bear that wants to sleep, but doesn't know how. Thinking about all the animals that are fast asleep, Dozy wonders if there's a secret to sleeping. Family members take turns assuring him that there is no secret. Mama Bear says, You just wait for sleep to come, while Papa encourages him to slowly wiggle body parts from the top of his head to the tip of his toes. Nana Bear encourages stretching as Dozy begins to settle down and get sleepy. Grampy Bear instructs him to hush and listen to the night. And as Mama Bear wraps him close like a blanket, she prompts him to take deep, long breaths. Plenty of anticipated repetition and interaction lace Blackburn's inviting, almost hypnotic narrative. Using a mix of bold and faded hues, Smythe's nighttime scenes, rendered in collage-style compositions of blocky shapes, show the subdued forest full of creatures cuddling. A soothing story for little ones with difficulties settling down for the night.--Lock, Anita Copyright 2017 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-Dozy Bear doesn't know how to go to sleep. Mama, Papa, Nana, and Grampy Bear help Dozy find slumber by teaching him to listen to the quiet sounds of the night and by showing him how to practice deep breathing. Meant to be read aloud, the text uses unspecified "tried-and-true techniques" to teach children how to fall asleep. A lot of the success of this selection may depend upon the tone and cadence of readers' voices. The rhythmic language and the repetition and emphasis of certain words create a tranquil mood. Words such as heavy, cozy, settled, and snuggled encourage body awareness and mindfulness. The mellow illustrations reinforce the text's gentle progression toward sleep as they transition from the warm colors of sunset into the soft and cool hues of night. Children will appreciate Dozy Bear and his forest friends. Parents whose children struggle to fall asleep may benefit from integrating this story into the bedtime routine. Outside of naptime and bedtime, the title may lack the versatility necessary for general classroom and library use. VERDICT An optional purchase for library collections that already include soothing bedtime tales.-Alyssa -Annico, Youngstown State University, OH © Copyright 2017. 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
All the animals are cozily sleeping, except Dozy Bear, so his family helps him settle down. This repetitive, drawn-out tale of insomnia is transparently designed to share relaxation techniques, with the reader directing deep breathing ("ah ahhhh"; "innn--and--ouuuuuut") to help put the listener to sleep. The collage illustrations of this UK import are muted, dreamlike, and lovely, except that the bears resemble mice. (c) Copyright 2018. 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.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Following on the unearned success of Carl-Johan Forssn Ehrlin's The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep (2015), a slightly more artful take on the same relaxation techniques.Dozy Bear crawls into his den every night, thinks of all the other animals who are fast asleep, but evidently cannot fall asleep himself. Dozy's family coaxes him in turn to somnolence. Mama tells him to close his eyes and "snuggle down"; Papa takes him through a physical relaxation sequence; Nana impresses on him how soft his bed is; and Grampy tells him to listen to the quiet of the night. Certain key words are italicized, cuing adult readers to emphasize them: "He'd think of all the other / animals, fast asleep." Variations on the word "sleep" appear some 30 times, along with other suggestive words such as "snoring," "settle," and "stillness." Dozy's mama leads him through some deep breathing ("Deep, long breaths, innnandouuuuuut, / innnandouuuuuut, innnandouuuuuut"), which finally renders Dozy "a little bundle of sleep." Smythe's twilight-colored collage illustrations look as though they've been tinted with watercolor and then scribbled over with crayon, giving them a childlike feel. Poor composition and the choice to make Dozy and his family virtually indistinguishable from one another result in some illustrations that will puzzle readers who haven't already conked out. Just as purposive as the runaway bestseller but significantly more palatable. (Picture book. 2-5) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
