As you read the reviews on Bookshop Talk, you'll notice that every review is positive. No, we're not a bunch of literary
pushovers who love everything we pick up; we just see no point in telling you about a book if we didn't like it.

January 9, 2011

DON’T WAKE UP THE BEAR by Marjorie Dennis Murray, 2003

Don't Wake Up the Bear!
On a cold, snowy evening, several animals snuggle up to a hibernating bear in order to keep warm. (Amazon product description)

Review by Laura Madsen, mom, veterinarian and writer

Being the parent of small children means a lot of reading out loud. Many of the picture books on the market are tedious to read after just a few times, and downright painful after a few dozen readings. But DON’T WAKE UP THE BEAR is a pleasure to read out loud even after a hundred times.

The illustrations are beautiful watercolors which enhance the rhythmic, repetitive text. A hare, fox, squirrel, badger and mouse all take refuge in a bear’s cave on a clear winter night. Each says, “I wish I could snuggle up with that big, soft, warm bear,” to which the hare warns, “Don’t wake up the bear!” But the mouse sneezes, the bear wakes up and growls “the loudest growl ever heard from a bear,” the other animals scatter, and the bear wanders off to forage berries.

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To learn more about the author, visit: Marjorie Dennis Murray

1 comment:

Kim said...

I need a book like this--one that I can read hundreds of times to my kids without it becoming a pain! Thanks for the great review and recommendation!