Sleep, Big Bear, Sleep!

An amiable bear with a hearing problem continually mishears Old Man Winter, who keeps saying "Sleep, Big Bear, Sleep! in this rhyming bedtime book. As the bear does everything but that - driving a jeep, working as a sweep, climbing a mountain steep - he gets progressively more tired, until finally he does what he should have all along: go to sleep for the season...

A few years ago I read Share, Big Bear, Share!, not realizing it was the third picture-book about this lovable but hard-of-hearing bear from author Maureen Wright and illustrator Will Hillenbrand. Realizing recently that I wanted to read the autumnal story about this character, Sneeze, Big Bear, Sneeze!, I decided to go back and first read this initial story. Pairing a rhyming show more text with cute illustrations, Sleep, Big Bear, Sleep! is a book that would work both as a basic introduction to the idea of hibernation for younger children, and as an engaging bedtime book, as the ursine hero does just what many youngsters do, in resisting going to sleep. I would recommend it for either purpose. show less

I really liked this story, and I hoped the kids would like it even though my storytime group is a little young to get the rhyming silliness. One 4 year old really got the story, and laughed in all the right parts, so the other kids followed her lead.

This book was just okay; I wasn't all that impressed with the story. The artwork is lovely though.

Really sweet story of a bear who hears old man winter talking to him. He finally realizes that it is winter and he needs to go to sleep. Beautiful illustrations from Will Hillenbrand.