When Winter Comes Knocking: A Story For Small Bear by Alice B. McGinty

 

WHEN A LATE AUTUMN WIND SWIRLED INTO THE DEN AFTER NOONTIME NAP, SMALL BEAR SHIVERED. Brrrrr!

"I SMELL FROST," SAID MAMA. "TONIGHT WE START OUR WINTER SLUMBER."

This comes as news to Small Bear. And she begins to worry, snuggling up to Mama to ask an important question.

"WILL YOU TELL ME STORIES BEFORE WE SLEEP?"

Mama Bear assured Small Bear that there will be time for stories IF she doesn't dilly dally in getting ready for hibernation.

Small Bear agrees, but it's hard to say goodnight when the sun is rising in the sky and her favorite hole in the Spruce is so comfy to climb into and it's so much fun to climb high in the fragrant branches. But she remembers what Mama said and collect spruce twigs to make a warm bed in their den. She joins Mama as they shimmy and shake off the dirt from their fur in the pond, its waters warmed by the midday sun. It's hard to resist spending the afternoon eating the acorns under the oak tree and the extra fat acorns that are still waiting for nibbling in the top branches.

The forest is filled with food and fun. But Small Bear must not dilly-dally! The sun seems to be setting. And where is Mama now?

"MAMA!?!"

Small Bear hurries back to find Mama, and inside their den their fresh-smelling bedding is waiting.

"STORIES?"

Hibernation means a long bedtime and lots of stories, beginning with...

"ONCE UPON A TIME THERE WAS A SMALL BEAR WHO LOVED TO DILLY DALLY...."

And we all know what happens after hibernation, but Small Bear will have to wait for that one, in A Story for Small Bear (Schwartz & Wade, 2020). McGinty's storytelling is sweet and lovely, as are Richard Jone's soft-hued illustrations of a loving mother and a child who longs to play and to please. Hibernation means a long bedtime, but we, dear readers, know that story will end with the joys of springtime to come.

"... Forest scenes play out, together with McGinty’s expert prose and pacing.” says Publishers Weekly's starred review.