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ARE YOU SURE, MOTHER BEAR?

Name: ARE YOU SURE, MOTHER BEAR?
Author: Amy Hest
ISBN: 978-0-7636-7207-2

by Amy Hest ; illustrated by Lauren Tobia ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 11, 2016

It won't rewrite the book on bedtime, but it will make some older readers envious of Mother Bear's sanguine, calming...

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Bears, snow, and anticipation for a very long winter's slumber figure into this bedtime book with a bittersweet twist.

Little Miss Bear, a cub, can't sleep, but it's not the usual childhood anxieties. Mother Bear's little one can't catch a wink because she's afraid everything will have changed when she wakes from hibernation. Instead of simply soothing her cub, Mother Bear takes her for one last roll in the snow before covering her face with kisses and tucking her in. "And when we wake up, the stars will be bright," Mother Bear tells her. "The moon will be round. The hills will be grassy. And we'll be right here, in our very own place, together." Veteran children's author Hest wisely understands it's not just the cuddles that bring rest, but a parent's reassurances that sleep won't bring chaos and disorder, even one as long as winter. Tobia employs cozy, soothing hues for her anthropomorphic bear characters, who are warm and safe in their mountain chalet against the more mysterious, dense backgrounds of the woods outside. This is the rare children's book that is as reassuring as it is sweet.

It won't rewrite the book on bedtime, but it will make some older readers envious of Mother Bear's sanguine, calming attitude toward the passing of the seasons. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: Oct. 11, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-7636-7207-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Candlewick

Review Posted Online: July 25, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
BIG BEAR AND LITTLE BEAR GO FISHING
by Amy Hest ; illustrated by Erin E. Stead

- BOOK REVIEW
BUNNY SHOULD BE SLEEPING
by Amy Hest ; illustrated by Renata Liwska

- BOOK REVIEW
JUST THE WAY THEY ARE
by Amy Hest ; illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton

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CARPENTER'S HELPER

by Sybil Rosen ; illustrated by Camille Garoche ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 16, 2021

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.

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A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.

Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: March 16, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random

Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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HOW TO CATCH A MAMASAURUS

From the How To Catch… series

by Alice Walstead ; illustrated by Andy Elkerton ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 5, 2024

A syrupy tribute to mothers that may please fans of the series.

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Another creature is on the loose.

The long-running series continues its successful formula with this Hallmark card of a book, which features bright illustrations and catchy rhymes. This time, the mythical creature the racially diverse children set out to catch is an absent mom who does it all (lists of descriptors include the words banker, caregiver, nurse, doctor, driver, chef, housekeeper, teacher, entertainer, playmate, laundry service, problem solver, handywoman, cleaner, and alarm clock) but doesn’t seem to have a job outside the home and is inexplicably a dinosaur. As the children prepare gifts and a meal for her, the text becomes an ode to the skills the Mamasaurus possesses (“Day or night she’s always there. / She meets every wish and need”) and values she instills (“Sometimes life can mean hard work,” “kindness matters,” and “what counts is doing your best”). This well-intentioned selection veers into cliche generously sprinkled with saccharine but manages to redeem itself with its appreciation for mothers and all that they may do. Endpapers include a “to” and “from” page framed in a heart, as well as a page where young gift givers or recipients can draw a picture of their Mamasaurus.