School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-The sun is setting, and while the forest creatures feel the inevitable draw of slumber, Little Bear is wide awake. A fantastical purple and fuchsia woodland surrounds four mice, three hares, two deer, and Great Big Bear and her cub, Little Bear. In a series of introductory flaps, Haughton reveals how each animal group gets ready for bed, by establishing a simple pattern ideal for storytelling. Children will itch to join in as the mice yawn, the hares sigh, the deer take a deep breath, and Great Big Bear stretches. However, Little Bear does not feel sleepy and is determined to invite his friends to play. When sleep finally finds him, he follows the same path as the others: sighing, taking a deep breath, stretching, and yawning. Great Big Bear then gently carries him off to bed. Readers then say good night to each animal family in its home, starting with the mice. A dandelion appears, and a mouse's gentle snores blow seeds into the air. Dandelion seeds rise slowly into the sky on each subsequent page until the final page, where the moon is high and all are asleep. Small dots trail across the endpapers, too, like a continuation of the seeds and the animals' dreams. They soar around the southern and northern constellation maps to the forest shown on the earth in the solar system map. This is a charming addition about a dreamer's place within the wider world. VERDICT A stunning picture book for sharing during storytimes or quiet times before bed, this is a must for all collections.-Rachel Zuffa, Racine Public Library, WI © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Haughton (Shh! We Have a Plan) sets aside his characteristically loopy humor in order to lull young children to sleep. Even the colors are soft-pedaled. As a palette of incandescent colors fades from hot vermilion to deep indigo, a series of graduated pages describes, from small to large, the growing drowsiness in the forest as night falls: "The mice are sleepy... the hares are sleepy... the deer are sleepy." Even Great Big Bear stretches and yawns. Only Little Bear resists: "Well, I'm not sleepy," he declares. But the rest of the forest creatures are too tired to play with him, and as the pages grow ever darker, into magenta and violet, Little Bear starts yawning and stretching, too. Despite their stripped-down, angular construction, Great Big Bear and Little Bear convey a sense of furry realness-especially when Little Bear gets "a great big goodnight kiss" from Great Big Bear, a massive, comforting presence. Children listening to Haughton's story might not fall asleep, but they'll have to admit that it's getting to be about that time. Ages 2-5. (Dec.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.