Dozy Bear and the Secret of Sleep

by Katie Blackburn, Richard Smythe (Illustrator)

Overview

For fans of the bestselling phenomenon The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep, Katie Blackburn’s Dozy Bear and the Secret of Sleep is an innovative, beautiful, and rhythmic picture book about a little bear named Dozy who wanted to sleep but didn’t know how…

Combining proven sleep and relaxation techniques with Richard Smythe’s gorgeous, dreamlike illustrations, this is the perfect companion for any parent who wants to turn naptime or bedtime into a calming experience.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062564269
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/28/2017
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	10.30(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Katie Blackburn is the author of Where the Wild Moms Are, a humorous homage to the children’s bestseller Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. Katie lives in London with her husband and young child. Dozy Bear and the Secret of Sleep is her first children’s book.

Richard Smythe received his master of fine arts degree in illustration in 2010 and has since been working for a variety of clients internationally. His favorite subject to illustrate is animals, and he loves inventing characters and telling stories. You can visit him at www.richard-smythe.co.uk.

Editorial Reviews

Plenty of anticipated repetition and interaction lace Blackburn’s inviting and almost hypnotizing narrative....A soothing story for little ones with difficulties settling down for the night.” — Booklist

“The mellow illustrations reinforce the text’s gentle progression toward sleep as they transition from the warm colors of sunset into the soft and cool hues of night....parents whose children struggle to fall asleep may benefit from integrating this story into the bedtime routine.” — School Library Journal

From the Publisher

Plenty of anticipated repetition and interaction lace Blackburn’s inviting and almost hypnotizing narrative....A soothing story for little ones with difficulties settling down for the night.

Booklist

Plenty of anticipated repetition and interaction lace Blackburn’s inviting and almost hypnotizing narrative....A soothing story for little ones with difficulties settling down for the night.

Booklist

02/01/2017
PreS-K—Dozy Bear doesn't know how to go to sleep. Mama, Papa, Nana, and Grampy Bear help Dozy find slumber by teaching him to listen to the quiet sounds of the night and by showing him how to practice deep breathing. Meant to be read aloud, the text uses unspecified "tried-and-true techniques" to teach children how to fall asleep. A lot of the success of this selection may depend upon the tone and cadence of readers' voices. The rhythmic language and the repetition and emphasis of certain words create a tranquil mood. Words such as heavy, cozy, settled, and snuggled encourage body awareness and mindfulness. The mellow illustrations reinforce the text's gentle progression toward sleep as they transition from the warm colors of sunset into the soft and cool hues of night. Children will appreciate Dozy Bear and his forest friends. Parents whose children struggle to fall asleep may benefit from integrating this story into the bedtime routine. Outside of naptime and bedtime, the title may lack the versatility necessary for general classroom and library use. VERDICT An optional purchase for library collections that already include soothing bedtime tales.—Alyssa Annico, Youngstown State University, OH

School Library Journal

2017-01-17
Following on the unearned success of Carl-Johan Forssén Ehrlin's The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep (2015), a slightly more artful take on the same relaxation techniques.Dozy Bear crawls into his den every night, thinks of all the other animals who are fast asleep, but evidently cannot fall asleep himself. Dozy's family coaxes him in turn to somnolence. Mama tells him to close his eyes and "snuggle down"; Papa takes him through a physical relaxation sequence; Nana impresses on him how soft his bed is; and Grampy tells him to listen to the quiet of the night. Certain key words are italicized, cuing adult readers to emphasize them: "He'd think of all the other / animals, fast asleep…." Variations on the word "sleep" appear some 30 times, along with other suggestive words such as "snoring," "settle," and "stillness." Dozy's mama leads him through some deep breathing ("Deep, long breaths, innn—and—ouuuuuut, / innn—and—ouuuuuut, innn—and—ouuuuuut"), which finally renders Dozy "a little bundle of sleep." Smythe's twilight-colored collage illustrations look as though they've been tinted with watercolor and then scribbled over with crayon, giving them a childlike feel. Poor composition and the choice to make Dozy and his family virtually indistinguishable from one another result in some illustrations that will puzzle readers who haven't already conked out. Just as purposive as the runaway bestseller but significantly more palatable. (Picture book. 2-5)

Kirkus Reviews