There's a bear in your book

Toddler-PreS--The newest entry in Fletcher's interactive "Who's in Your Book?" series finds a tired bear infiltrating the book, full and messy after enjoying a rather large picnic. As the story continues, readers are invited to help put the bear to bed with various actions, including shaking the book to make bubbles for a bath, flapping the book to dry the bear, and rocking it to lull the bear to sleep. When a familiar monster appears, readers must help both characters, along with some counting sheep, fall asleep. The digital illustrations are simple but engaging, as are the multiple typefaces used to emphasize the interactive moments. While the concept is nothing new and the story itself a bit formulaic, very young readers may enjoy participating, either one-on-one or as part of a story time. VERDICT Not especially innovative, but likely to please fans of the series.--Lauren Strohecker

Can you bear a cute bedtime story? A night-capped brown bear stars in this adorable interactive story intended to help parents lull their little ones to sleep. Turns out those little ones are supposed to get Bear ready for a peaceful night's slumber. The diminutive ursine is first introduced as having had a "big picnic." Now a "very full and very tired" Bear needs a bath. This requires youngsters to shake the book vigorously to ensure Bear gets his tub "super-duper-bubbly." Readers are invited to pop the bubbles, then to "FLAP the book like a fan" to towel Bear off. Just as Bear drifts off, youngsters having aided this effort by rocking the book, a blue monster wakes Bear up--and kids are urged to manipulate the book and perform other activities--e.g., wagging a finger, yawning, imagining five sheep, then singing them a lullaby--before Bear and a now-well-behaved Monster (and most of the sheep) finally settle down for the night. Children will be thoroughly entertained by these humorous shenanigans and, parents can only hope, feel pooped enough to easily drop off to sleep themselves, having dispatched Bear and company snugly off to dreamland. The sweet, colorful, lively illustrations incorporate large, capitalized onomatopoeic words and "instructions" for maneuvering the book; set in various fonts, these heighten visual interest and the fun. (This book was reviewed digitally.) "Beary" cute and endearing; a bedtime charmer. (Picture book. 2-5) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.