Sleepy Bears

I read this as a naptime story to my two year old nephew who did NOT want to take a nap. He would not lay down on the couch with me, so he sat up next to me and looked at the pictures and listened to me read. I read it in a nice soft voice to go with the story. By the time the third bear fell asleep he was yawning so much that it was all I could do to not start laughing. By the time the fourth bear fell asleep, he kept having to jerk his head up because he was nodding off. By the time the last bear fell asleep, he had fallen over, face first into the book. I had to lift him up and lay him backwards, scared that I was going to wake him up....but he was OUT. And at that point I was ready for a nap myself. I don't know who yawned more....him or me. This was an enchanting book with beautiful illustrations. The perfect bedtime story.

Sleepy Bears is a predictable story about Mother Bear and her six bear children getting into bed to hibernate for the winter. Mother Bear says goodnight to each of her cubs and suggests what she thinks each of them will dream about.Kerry Argent has beautifully illustrated the bears so that they look fuzzy enough to touch. The textured artwork of the "real" world is different from that of the dreams. The scenery and objects illustrated in the bear cubs' dreams is flatter looking, with little shading or color gradient.Argent has included a blue stuffed elephant in each non-dream illustration. It is on the title page, and then is held by one or another of the bear cubs throughout the book until the final page. Once everyone has fallen asleep, the stuffed elephant blows out the candle. This book is a perfect read-before-bed story, with it's peaceful illustrations and repetition of the line "Now who's the sleepiest? Who will be next?"Mem Fox may be Australian, but, with the exception of one word, the reader would never know this from reading Sleepy Bears. Only the use of the word "ices" to refer to a treat akin to snow cones indicates that the author is not an American.

I'm a collector of children's books, and this one of my family's favorites. It is the story of a mother bear telling goodnight rhymes to each of her children before they hibernate for the winter. Each child gets their own rhyme in tune with their personality. The book has a "quiet" tone that is perfect in setting a bedtime mood.

This has become my 4-year-old son's all-time favorite book. It's the last book we read for the night, and as each bear yawns, so does my son! It is a cozy, caring book that makes a child feel warm and secure. You'll find yourself yawning too with each page you turn. The illustrations are beautiful and lend themselves to a child's rich imagination. My son has the story just about committed to memory. I recommend this along with Good Night Moon.

Beautifully written and richly illustrated, Sleepy Bears is a delight! It's cosy warmth and sleepy themes make it a perfect bedtime companion. Although recommended for the 4-8 age group, my two-year-old boy reaches for it every night. He loves it - so does his Mum!!!