A Bedtime for Bear

by Bonny Becker, Kady MacDonald Denton (Illustrator)

Overview

“Denton’s ink and watercolor illustrations ably express the dry humor of Becker’s dialogue and personifications, which make this a bedtime standout.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Bear must have absolute quiet when he goes to bed. But the effervescent Mouse, small and gray and bright-eyed, finds it terribly hard to be as quiet as a . . . well, you know. With masterfully paced slapstick humor, droll repartee, and comic visual details, the curmudgeonly Bear and his irrepressible friend Mouse return in another wry adventure.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763688905
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	10/11/2016
Series:	Bear and Mouse Series
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	205,353
Product dimensions:	10.50(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.20(d)
Lexile:	AD520L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Bonny Becker is the author of three books about Bear and Mouse as well as a number of other award-winning picture books and middle-grade novels. She lives in Seattle.

Kady MacDonald Denton is the illustrator of all three Bear and Mouse stories as well as TWO HOMES by Claire Masurel. She lives in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.

Editorial Reviews

Denton's ink and watercolor illustrations ably express the dry humor of Becker's dialogue and personifications, which make this a bedtime standout.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Bear and Mouse are back and charming as ever… For children who are frightened at night, trying to navigate the world of friendships, or facing new experiences, Bear and Mouse are the perfect companions.
—School Library Journal (starred review)

From the Publisher

Bear and Mouse return to prove that friends may not be perfect, but they're there when it matters most. Bear can't stand noise at bedtime, so he isn't pleased when Mouse turns up to spend the night. Mouse's humming, squeaking, and whispers of "Good night!" make Bear lose his patience, but when the house at last falls silent, Bear discovers that having everything just so is less important than having a friend when nighttime sounds turn scary. Denton's ink and watercolor illustrations ably express the dry humor of Becker's dialogue and personifications, which make this a bedtime standout. Ages 5-7. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Gr 1—Bear and Mouse are back and charming as ever. Bear needs everything just so and perfectly quiet at night, so when his friend shows up for a sleepover, he is wary. All goes well until Mouse's noises disturb him. Then Mouse falls asleep, and Bear hears something. Awakened by his worried friend, Mouse goes along with his host's premise that it was he who was frightened and checks under the bed, etc., finally settling in for a bedtime story. Ultimately both fall asleep together. In a perfect marriage of illustrations and text, Becker and Denton portray Bear as skeptical, then irritated, and, finally, nervous. Unflappable Mouse, with his satisfied smile, is a perfect foil. With lines like, "'I am here to spend the night!' exclaimed Mouse with a happy wiggle of his whiskers," and "'You'll want a bedtime story, I expect,' said Bear. 'For your nerves,'" Becker's clever text imbues the characters with personality and the story with humor. Denton's watercolor, ink, and gouache artwork brings them to life. With just a few lines, illustrations take Bear from annoyed to frightened and Mouse from sleepy to awake. In a combination of full-bleed spreads, full pages, and spot art, they draw readers through the story. For children who are frightened at night, trying to navigate the world of friendships, or facing new experiences, Bear and Mouse are the perfect companions.—Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT

School Library Journal