Tag: hibernation

Winter Lullaby (Dianne White)

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Hello, friends! Our book today is Winter Lullaby, written by Dianne White and illustrated by Ramona Kaulitzki, a sweet tale of a bear family and the approach of winter.

The autumn in coming to a close and the air is crisp and cold, so Mama Bear calls for her little one to prepare for sleep. Seeing other animals like mouse, raccoon, skunk, and others scurrying about on the fallen snow, Small Bear asks why they must go to sleep if the others are all staying up. Mama Bear patiently explains that all the other animals are making their own last-minute preparations before going into hibernation themselves, just like bears do. She promises that when spring comes and the world is green again, they will wake and play. Until then, Mama Bear and Small Bear snuggle in tight and let the warmth of their den and the winter night’s lullabies soothe them to sleep.

A delightful wintertime bedtime tale. Caregivers will easily see the parallels between Small Bear bemoaning the fact that others get to stay up later, and White uses this as a nice way to counteract childhood bedtime FOMO as well as to explore how different animals hibernate over the winter. Kaulitzki’s illustrations are precious, using long lines and a contrast of warmth and cold to create cozy spaces, brisk landscapes, and charming animals, especially the bear families. The switch between regular and bolded text for the dialogue can be a little confusing at times, and two different fonts may have been a better choice. However, everything else works beautifully, and the length is great for a elementary-age storytime. JJ loved the all animals, especially the bond between Mama Bear and Small Bear. Overall, this is a winter bedtime treat that’s perfect for curling up with on cold nights. Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the author in exchange for an honest review.)

Bear Snores On (Karma Wilson & Jane Chapman)

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Hello, friends! Today’s book is Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman, the first story in the popular Bear series by the author/illustrator team.

Bear is curled tightly in his warm winter cave, enjoying a long nap as the winds howl outside. Escaping the winter weather, a small mouse happens upon the cave, and decides to light a small fire to warm himself, confident that his actions will not disturb Bear. Soon, Hare and Badger join the fun, bringing treats and tea and catching up. Soon more animal friends appear, bringing with them food and conversation, and a small but raucous party begins to form. The friends are having so much fun, in fact, they seem to have forgotten that they are sharing the cave with the very sleepy bear… and that a giant sleeping bear might not appreciate being woken up!

The Bear series has become very popular with little readers and parents for a reason, and this book is a perfect example of why. The story is charming, and features a sweet, humorous conclusion. The rhyming text flows well and is fun to read, and has onomatopoeia and the option for many different voices to make reading it aloud quite fun. The illustrations are darling, managing to create characters that are both lifelike yet extremely expressive. The length is perfect, and JJ always enjoys the Bear books, especially this one. A great start to a great series, and it’s Baby Bookworm approved!

The Busy Little Squirrel (Nancy Tafuri)

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Fall Festivities Week, Day 3: Hello, everyone! Today’s book is The Busy Little Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri, the story of, well, a busy little squirrel!

As the fall colors come in and the leaves begin to fall from the trees, the busy little squirrel has lots to do! While his animal friends invite him to join them in their fall activities, such as basking in the sun’s rays with the cats or nibbling on pumpkins with the mice, it seems that the squirrel is simply too busy. By the end of the book, the reader can see why: he has been collecting a store of food, and now he has nestled down for a long winter’s nap.

This was a cute fall book for very young readers: it incorporates common animals, the noises they make, and some elements of autumn, yet reads very quickly and easily. The illustrations are nice, full of fall colors that JJ enjoyed. I wish that, at some point, the concept of the squirrel creating a winter supply of food and his hibernation had been explained in the text, but other than that, this is a fine fall book for little readers. Baby Bookworm approved!