By Karma Wilson, Illustrated by Jane Chapman, 2002, 40 pages
“In a cave in the woods,In his deep, dark lair,through the long, cold wintersleeps a great brown bear.”Thus begins the story of one hibernating bear whose cave is visited by all manner of small forest creatures: mouse, hare, badger, gopher, mole, wren and raven. Each one arrives with a contribution to a spontaneous midwinter party in the bear’s cave. The party gears up while the bear snores on, until a small pepper fleck wakes him up: “He blows and he sneezes, and the whole crowd freezes…”
The cadence and flow of Karma Wilson’s verses are really delightful, especially when read out loud – it’s hard to believe this was her first book. She has written two other books about Bear, Bear Stays Up For Christmas“, and “Bear’s New Friend“, with a third just published: “Bear Feels Sick“. She also has a very nicely designed website, where you can learn more about the author and her work.
Filed under: Picture Books, Preschooler Books, Toddler Books
