Bear Snores On

by Karma Wilson, Jane Chapman (Illustrator)

Overview

Bear's cave fills with animal friends as he sleeps in this classic book from New York Times bestselling team of Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman.

In a cave in the woods,
in his deep, dark lair,
through the long, cold winter
sleeps a great brown bear.

One by one, a whole host of different animals and birds find their way out of the cold and into Bear's cave to warm up. But even after the tea has been brewed and the corn has been popped, Bear just snores on!

See what happens when he finally wakes up and finds his cave full of uninvited guests—all of them having a party without him!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781416902720
Publisher:	Little Simon
Publication date:	10/01/2005
Series:	Bear Books Series
Edition description:	BOARD
Pages:	34
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 5.50(h) x 0.80(d)
Lexile:	AD470L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Karma Wilson is the bestselling author of several picture books, including the Bear Books series; Where Is Home, Little Pip?; and A Dog Named Doug. Karma lives in Montana.

Jane Chapman is the illustrator of over one hundred books for children, including Dilly Duckling by Claire Freedman and I Love My Mama by Peter Kavanagh, as well as Karma Wilson’s Bear Books series and Mortimer’s Christmas Manger. She lives with her family in Dorset, England. Visit Jane at JaneKChapman.com.

Editorial Reviews

The Barnes & Noble Review
A sleeping bear, a blustery winter, and a handful of sweet woodland animals make this delightful picture book a welcome offering from first-time author Karma Wilson. Using rhyming text to create an inspired read-aloud, Wilson shows us how one bear snores on...

Set in a dark cave, away from the cold, snowy winter, a bear sleeps. Nothing awakes the sleeping beast, not even an unexpected visitor -- a small mouse. Looking for refuge from the cold, he makes a tiny fire with a small stick. A hare pops in to see his old friend mouse, who offers him some tea and popcorn. But the corn poppin' and the tea a-brewin' do not wake this hibernating bear. When a badger drops by and the three chomp happily on honey nuts, the bear snores on. More friends arrive, and soon it is a boisterous gathering with chitter-chatter and dancing. When the mouse and hare prepare a stew over the fire for their friends, they season it with dash of pepper. A stray pepper flake flies thru the air and the bear sneezes -- "Raaaaa-choooooo!!!!" Awake, he growls and snarls as the others begin to run. What will the beastly bear do? He cries:

You've snuck in my lair
and you've all had fun!
But me? I was sleeping
and...
I have had none!

Mouse quickly offers to brew more tea and pop more corn. The party is on! They tell tall tales into the night, and by morning Bear is wide awake...as his friends snore on.

We think this lovely tale couldn't be any sweeter. Flowing text, filled with perfect rhythm and humor, match wonderfully with the gorgeous and warm acrylic illustrations. The bear's warm cave with an orange glow is a cozy treasure in the middle of a snowy white forest. The woodland animals are bright-eyed and adorable, with just the right details -- smiling faces and the right balance of colorful strokes and realistic flair. Bear is as snuggly as can be, and the final scene will warm the hearts of every reader. A splendid offering from the team of Wilson and Chapman that is sure to be read again and again. (Amy Barkat)

bn.com

Since 2002, young readers (and, yes, we admit, their parents) have delighted to Karma Wilson's tale of a forest creature's very contented winter hibernation. Even the cold winter night arrival of an entire menagerie of chattering animal friends doesn't snap Bear's peaceful slumber. An adorable picture book for any child who likes animals; in other words, any child.

Snug in his cave, not even some visitors seeking shelter from the storm can wake Bear. Mouse arrives and builds a small fire to warm the chilly air. Hare arrives and they pop corn and brew tea, but even the slurping and burping doesn't bother Bear. Even when Badger passes out crunchy honey nuts and more guests begin arriving, "Bear snores on." By the time Gopher, Mole, Wren, and Raven arrive, it's a full-blown party. "And they nibble and they munch with a chew-chomp-crunch! But the bear snores on." Nothing seems to bother Bear, at least until an errant pepper flake from the stew tickles his nose. Sneezing awake, Bear is furious, but not because everyone is having a party in his cave, but because he has slept through it all. The other animals comfort Bear by insisting that the party is just beginning. Stories and food carry the party until dawn and as all the other animals snuggle in to sleep, only Bear is left awake unable to recapture his slumber. An icy blue palette illustrates the cold winter night, while the cave's interior is rendered in warm tones of reds and browns. The delightful illustrations on over-sized pages depicting the animals' party are the perfect accompaniment to the lyrical text. Little ones will snuggle into bed on a snowy night to hear this one.

Kirkus Reviews