Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 10/01/2018 Falling snow is piling up in drifts and Bear knows it’s time to hibernate, but he just can’t sleep. Mouse tiptoes into the lair to check on his friend and brew mint tea. Soon other friends drop by—Badger and Hare, Gopher and Mole, then Wren, Owl, and Raven—trying ideas from warm milk to lullabies, “But he still / can’t / sleep!” Finally, Bear tells his friends a story and just before the ending, he begins to snore. Using rhythm and rhyme with practiced skill, Wilson creates a text that reads aloud well and offers many opportunities for kids to chime in with the phrase “can’t sleep.” The story’s last words, “but the bear snores on,” will remind fans of Wilson’s first book, Bear Snores On? (2002), and, with—the publisher notes—more a million copies in print, the Bear series has many fans. Creating cozy scenes in toasty-warm colors, the expressive acrylic paintings show up beautifully from a little distance. A fine read-aloud choice for preschool teachers looking for picture books related to bears or hibernation. - Copyright 2018 Booklist.