Bear Sleeps On! Moonbear's Sunrise by Frank Asch

ONE EVENING BEAR AND LITTLE BIRD WERE WATCHING THE MOON RISE.

"MOONRISE REMINDS ME OF SUNRISE," SAID LITTLE BIRD.

"SUNRISE IS BEAUTIFUL, TOO."

Being a bird, Little Bird must be an early bird, and who better to know the comparative merits of moon and sunrise?

Moonbear has always been devoted to watching the moon rise and ride across the sky. He has never thought about what his night-owl ways caused him to miss.

Finally, he decides that he must see this "sunrise" for himself.

But there's a problem. Bear has never, ever gotten up that early. His moon-gazing habit has always meant that he sleeps until the sun is high in the sky. Bear buys himself something new--an alarm clock--and sets it for the wee hours of the morning to make sure he witnesses this whole sunrise thing for himself.

But like many night owls, Bear sleeps through the alarm. Two don't do the job either. Finally, he has ten alarms going off before dawn, but Bear hears nothing. He asks Little Bird to come over and make sure he's up for the dawn, but despite several chirpy "WAKE UPS" and an acorn dropped on his head--BEAR SLEEPS ON!

It's time for an intervention from friend Little Bird. Moonbear is just going to have to go to bed early! But that is easier said than done!

Frank Asch's newest book in his beloved and award-winning Moonbear series is sure to find fans who share Bear's preference for staying up late, in his Moonbear's Sunrise (Aladdin, 2014). It's great to have Moonbear back, albeit a bit short on shuteye!

Sweet Dreams: Goodnight, Baby Bear by Michael Shoulders

Momma Bear loves Baby Bear more than she loves honey oatmeal raisin cookies.

And she really loves honey oatmeal raisin cookies.

The members of Baby Bear's family have two things in common--they all love honey oatmeal raisin cookies, and they all love Baby Bear.

Momma and Baby Bear love the butterflies that come to enjoy the butterfly bush they plant and the birds who keep warm in the snug houses they build for them. And after their day in the sun, Momma tucks her cub in with a warm honey raisin oatmeal cookie and a special book before she kisses Baby Bear good night.

Daddy Bear needs Baby's help hooking up the toy tractor and its trail, digging a hole to plant an acorn to grow tall, and at the end of the day, Daddy, too, says good night with a cookie and a special story.

Brother Bear flies his kite in the ocean breeze with his little brother and reads him a story; Aunt Grace take him to the aquarium and answers all his questions before tucking him in with his cookie and a story about dolphins; and Uncle Roy shares his clown costumes and makeup, teaches Baby Bear the trick of how to making scarves disappear and leaves him with a cookie and a bedtime special joke only they share:

Knock Knock!

Who's there?

Police.

Police who?

Police don't eat honey oatmeal raisin cookies without ME!

And Nana? She loves eating oatmeal cookies with Baby Bear better than anyone. And she not only tucks him into bed. She lies right down beside him and catches up with all she's missed since her last visit. Nana doesn't stop with just one special book, either. She reads on and on, until, just as Momma, Daddy, and Brother Bear come looking for her, Nana and Baby Bear fall fast asleep together.

Goodnight, Baby Bear.

While cookies in bed may not be everyone's idea of a bedtime routine, the cookies are symbolic of the sweetness of a familiar ritual that make bedtime go better for all, and Michael Shoulders' forthcoming Goodnight Baby Bear (Sleeping Bear Press, 2010), with its portrait of a warm and nurturing extended family, is a great way to recall the events of the day and prepare for sweet dreams. As in his earlier and equally delightful Say Daddy! (Picture Books), (see my posted review here) Shoulder's gentle story of a close-knit and loving family and Teri Weidner's lovely and cozy pastel illustrations are a comforting and soothing way to both remember--and say goodbye--to the day.

[Note: Michael Shoulders' recipe for honey oatmeal raisin cookies is appended.]

Shoulders' other books include D Is for Drum: A Native American Alphabet (Alphabet Books), V is for Volunteer: A Tennessee Alphabet [V IS FOR VOLUNTEER], and 1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi: A Mississippi Numbers Book (Count Your Way Across the USA).

Questions, Questions! A Very Curious Bear by Tony Mitton

Parents must field constant questions from curious preschoolers. That's the way it should be as the growing mind tries to find out everything, but moms and dads can be excused for sometimes growing weary of finding simple but satisfying answers to what are very complex questions.

Tony Mitton's new A Very Curious Bear (Random House, 2009) offers some help in this matter. His cute and curious cub is a veritable fountain of interrogatives, but unlike real parents, his big bear is both patient and wise, if not always scientifically accurate:

"Why does the stream seem to gurgle and babble?"

"It's whispering 'Dip in your toes for a dabble."

"Why does the rain come to wet the world through?"

"It's helping grow the things that we need to feed you!"

Little Bear's questions sometimes veer from the natural world to the philosophical, as when he sadly spots a favorite tree, uprooted by a storm and lying across the stream. Big Bear keeps his cool as he answers.

"Why does the wind and the weather above
Destroy such beautiful things that we love?"

"Bad things happen that also bring good.
Just look! There's a bridge where the old tree once stood."

Paul Howard's warm, soft illustrations of Little Bear and Big Bear out for their daily stroll make A Very Curious Bear a pleasant little book for snuggle time or bedtime reading, one that may answer some questions and perhaps engender some special conversations with a curious child.

Changes, Changes: Don't Worry, Bear by Greg Foley

When Bear finds a caterpillar working hard on his branch, he is worried when the caterpillar tells him that he's making a cocoon in which to keep himself safe inside.

"I'll stay inside a while, but I promise you'll see me again," he says.

Not reassured, Bear comes back that night with his flashlight to check on the little cocoon with his friend inside.

"Don't worry, Bear. I'm not afraid of the dark," Caterpillar reassures him.

.
Still Bear's heart is uneasy. He returns on a windy day and then on a rainy day, and each time Caterpillar, from within the cocoon, tells Bear that he is safe and dry. When cold and snow arrive, Bear brings his friend Mouse to check on Caterpillar. Standing on Bear's head to observe the still little cocoon, Mouse muses for a moment and then says,

"Don't worry, Bear. I think Caterpillar is sleeping."

At last Bear stops worrying about Caterpillar and ceases his trips to check on the cocoon. But when at last spring comes, in high anticipation he returns to the budding tree. There, to his dismay, the spot on the limb is bare, and the cocoon case on the ground is cracked and empty.

Then a silk moth lands on his paw with a perky "Don't worry, Bear. I'm right here."

The sequel to his 2007 Thank You Bear, Greg Foley's Don't Worry Bear is a model of simplicity, in illustration and text. The drawings are simple and sweet, and the gentle story of a bear who worries about his friend's return will strike a chord with young children for whom "someday" is hard to imagine and a long time coming.

For my review of Thank You Bear, see my post of April 9, 2007.