The Bear Who Couldn't Sleep

by Caroline Nastro, Vanya Nastanlieva (Illustrator)

Overview

There’s no place like home when it’s time for bed.

When Bear can’t sleep, he goes on an adventure and discovers the wonders of New York City—a parade, Central Park, hot dogs, and more! But when he finally gets tired and looks for a place to rest . . . he learns why it’s called the city that never sleeps. What’s a bear to do? Caroline Nastro’s gentle adventure and Vanya Nastanlieva’s engaging illustrations are sure to comfort and delight!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780735842687
Publisher:	NorthSouth Books
Publication date:	10/01/2016
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD560L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Caroline Nastro studied theater and literature at the Université de Paris-Sorbonne, Yale School of Drama, and Stanford University. She is an award-winning playwright, screenwriter, and theater director. This is her first picture book.

Vanya Nastanlieva was born in 1979 and grew up in Bulgaria. She studied textiles and fashion before getting a BA in Book and Graphic Design from the National Academy of Art in Sofia, Bulgaria. She received her MA in Children's Book Illustration from Cambridge School of Art, England. She currently lives in Cambridge, England, with her husband, Martin, and a little daughter, Aleksandra. This is her first book for NorthSouth Books.

Interviews

Caroline Nastro studied theater and literature at the Université de Paris-Sorbonne, Yale School of Drama, and Stanford University. She is an award-winning playwright, screenwriter, and theater director. This is her first picture book.

Vanya Nastanlieva was born in 1979 and grew up in Bulgaria. She studied textiles and fashion before getting a BA in Book and Graphic Design from the National Academy of Art in Sofia, Bulgaria. She received her MA in Children’s Book Illustration from Cambridge School of Art, England. She currently lives in Cambridge, England, with her husband, Martin, and a little daughter, Aleksandra. This is her first book for NorthSouth Books.

Editorial Reviews

"Beginning with an adventure and ending with a soporific scene, here’s a satisfying bedtime book with broad appeal."

Booklist

"Appealing, comical illustrations juxtapose the clamor and wakefulness of the city and the growing sleepiness of the sightseeing bear in this warm, just-right bedtime story."

The Horn Book guide

"Cuddle up with this Bear and his pillow for a just-right bedtime story."- Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

10/01/2016
PreS—Little Bear wanders out of his family's warm den and sets off through the snowy trees one night when he cannot sleep. He walks and walks "until he arrive[s] at a very big city"—New York. Bear finds himself surrounded by entertainment. Parades march by with colorful balloons, friends are made at the Central Park Zoo, a tall green lady stands guard in a harbor, and even the opera beckons to Bear. While gazing at a Jackson Pollock painting at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bear decides that he could stay in the city all winter…if he weren't getting so, so sleepy. Hushed mixed-media artwork comprised of pencils, pastels, and a touch of watercolor, rendered in muted shades of blues and grays, is quietly stunning, particularly a spread of Bear curled up at the bottom of a tree dappled in snow, illuminated by the hazy yellow beam of a park ranger's flashlight. Bear eventually stumbles home, walking, walking, walking back to his family "and the quiet sounds of winter." VERDICT A first-rate debut that deserves a spot on storytime shelves to share with little bears everywhere.—Lisa Kropp, Lindenhurst Memorial Library, NY

School Library Journal

2016-07-20
Bear’s mother and brothers are comfortably hibernating for the winter, while he tosses and turns.Unable to fall asleep, he heads for the bright lights of New York City, where he enjoys the Thanksgiving Day parade, attends an opera, and sees the Statue of Liberty. He encounters other animals at the zoo and in the park, and he falls in love with a Jackson Pollock painting at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. All that activity finally tires him out, but now he can’t find a place to settle down amid the constant noise and movement of the city that never sleeps. Finally he finds his way home to his forest and family and settles down for a long sleep. Bears and their habits are very popular picture-book subjects, and there have been a great many animals, humans, and imaginary characters who have visited the Big Apple. Nastro brings a fresh perspective with well-paced, simple, descriptive text set in type that’s woven seamlessly around and through Nastanlieva’s bright, detailed illustrations. Dressed in pajamas and toting his pillow, Bear displays curiosity, bewilderment, awe, joy, and, eventually, frustration and exhaustion, all with very slight adjustments to his facial features. Sharp-eyed young readers will notice that a small golden bird unobtrusively accompanies Bear throughout his adventures. Cuddle up with this Bear and his pillow for a just-right bedtime story. (Picture book. 3-8)

Kirkus Reviews

A little bear who can't sleep wanders the snowy woods in his nightcap and pajamas with his pillow tucked under his arm; he eventually arrives in "the city that never sleeps": New York City. Appealing, comical illustrations juxtapose the clamor and wakefulness of the city and the growing sleepiness of the sightseeing bear in this warm, just-right bedtime story.

The Horn Book Guide

Beginning with an adventure and ending with a soporific scene, here’s a satisfying bedtime book with broad appeal.

Booklist - Carolyn Phelan