hlbirk's Full Review: Frank Asch - Good Night, Baby Bear
Any parent that tucks their children into bed knows that kids have all kinds of excuses as to why they can't go to sleep. They pull out all the stops when playing the Delay Game. "I need a drink of waaaater." "I gotta go potty." "You forgot to give me twoooo hugs."
Author Frank Asch shows the same scenario with a mother bear and her cub as they prepare for hibernating through the winter. Good Night, Baby Bear is available through Scholastic, though we received our copy as a gift from a teacher at my boys' preschool. The paintings in the book are done with brushes and sponges on bristol board using acrylic paints. The colors are very dark, thus making it even better for bedtime. There aren't a lot of bright colors throughout, only a few when we see the setting sun or moon, even those are somewhat muted.
Mother Bear is ready to go to sleep but Baby Bear is having a hard time learning how to sleep in a cave, as opposed to outside under the moon. That's when the excuses begin. First he needs something to eat, then something to drink. Obviously this is Mother Bear's first 'child' because she gets up and goes to get Baby Bear whatever he needs. If this were her second or third 'child' she would have already said, "Go To Sleep Already!" LOL
Baby Bear then decides that it's too dark and he can't sleep without the moon. Hmphf! Leave it to kids to ask something that isn't exactly possible. But Mother Bear goes outside and talks to the moon. Just then a bit of snow falls from a pine tree and rolls to the opening of the cave. It's big and round like the moon, so Mother Bear rolls it into the cave. Being made of snow the ice crystals reflect off the moon's glow and it acts as a night light for little Baby Bear.
Finally they both lay down and just as Mother Bear is drifting off to sleep Baby Bear nudges her yet once again. This time he wants a kiss! They embrace in a hug and lay back down for a long winter's nap.
I really, really like this book as a bedtime story. If you lower your tone a little bit it sounds very soft. I imagine a big lumbering mother bear trying to get her cub to lay down...I imagine a sweet motherly voice. My kids really enjoy this book and have requested it as their bedtime story for almost 2 straight weeks now.
My only question left unanswered is: "After that snowball melts is somebody gonna get in trouble for wetting the bed?"
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