When Will It Be Spring?

Short and sweet, yes, funny ending, and still enjoyed by my first-grader and will likely be appreciated for a while longer. The drawings are similar in style to those of the immensely talented Jan Brett: full of detail and grace. The little bear, Alfie, is like any normal kid at bedtime (made me think of the Frances books illustrated by Garth Williams), and the images of butterflies versus bats/snow, and birds versus ice, and so on, are clever without being contrived. Highly recommended, a keeper.

When Will It Be Spring? was first published in 1997 as a standard picture book before being released as a board book. This may explain why the story and art seem especially well done. Mother Bear and little Alfie need to sleep through the winter, but Alfie keeps misjudging clues and time and again wakes his mother long before spring has arrived. This theme will work well, I'd think, with toddlers because bedtime and restlessness are important themes to them. Alfie's eagerness and his mother's patience are shown in the beautiful illustrations as well as the text, and will make young children feel good about, not just sleeping and waking, but also about the unconditional support of their parents.

This is a well written story that doesn't even need the writing -- the illustrations themselves suffice to transport a child and its parent to a beautiful world of misty mountains and autumn leaves, winter's first snow in a peaceful pine forrest, spring flowers along the shores of a glassy alpine lake. And the bears are cute too. My daughter is only 19 months old, but the pictures are enough to captivate her almost as much as they captivate me. If you want to show your child the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone without actually taking the long drive to Wyoming, this is one way to do so.

One of our favorite kids' books yet. Story is charming, but not "cutesie"; reflects some real knowledge of natural history on the part of the author, and the illustrations are exquisite - make me want to crawl right into the book - especially the final one of Alfie asleep in a sea of spring flowers surrounded by mountain peaks. This is one of a handful of children's book illustrators whose work I would like to have framed on my walls.

One of the sweetest books I have ever read, this story about a little bear cub who is too excited to sleep during the winter is a real charmer. Well written and illustrated in a way that makes you fall in love with the little guy right away (my personal favorites: one with the mother looking at her seated cub as snow falls and the other being a tiny pair of eyes peeking out of the top of a pile of leaves), parents with kids who are excited by life around them will identify with this story. Even if you are not a parent, anyone reading this terrific little story will see themselves in this little bear. I loved this book.