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by Claudia Rueda, Elisa Amado (Translator)

Overview

It's winter and little bear doesn't want to go to sleep. He's sure he won't get cold outside. He doesn't mind how long the winter is, how deep the snow might get or how hard the wind might blow. Until, that is, he finds himself all alone in a snowstorm. After a few panicky moments, he finds his mother again. "Mamma, I'm back," he says. "Winter is very long and you might get lonely."

Claudia Rueda's classic picture-book illustrations, with their simple strong lines and shapes, show a very determined little bear and his mother in an increasingly snowy landscape. Little bear is a character that children everywhere will identify with.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780888999917
Publisher:	Groundwood Books
Publication date:	08/01/2010
Pages:	44
Product dimensions:	9.40(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	2 - 5 Years

About the Author

CLAUDIA RUEDA's picture books include My Little Polar Bear (Oppenheim Platinum Award, NYC Society of Illustrators Original Art Show selection), Let's Play in the Forest (National Parenting Publications Award, Colombian IBBY Honor List) and Nacho and Lolita by Pam Munoz Ryan (Child magazine Best Children's Books List, NYC Society of Illustrators Original Art Show selection). Her picture books have been published in Mexico, Spain and the US and translations have been published in Asia and Europe. Claudia has also worked as a political cartoonist and has written educational books for UNICEF. She lives with her family in Bogota, Colombia.

ELISA AMADO is a Guatemalan-born author and translator. She has written My Friend (Mi amiga), illustrated by Alfonso Ruano; Un Barrilete para el Día de los Muertos / Barrilete: A Kite for the Day of the Dead; Cousins (Primas), illustrated by Luis Garay; and Tricycle (El triciclo), illustrated by Alfonso Ruano, which is on the Américas Award Commended List and is a USBBY Outstanding International Book. She lives in Toronto.

Editorial Reviews

Rueda returns to a setting close to that of 2009’s My Little Polar Bear (a snowy landscape), with similar characters (a mother bear and cub), and even a similar plot device (youngster caught in a snowstorm). As with that book, the spreads are cold and spare. The bears resemble paper cutouts; the palette is limited to austere white, blues, grays, and browns; the surfaces are clean and unworked; and dots of snow provide movement. Yet the books differ in approach. Before, the narrative soothed; here it takes the form of a lively conversation. “ ‘It’s time to go to sleep,’ said mother bear. ‘No,’ said little bear. ‘I don’t want to go to sleep.’ ” She warns him that he’ll “freeze out here,” to which he retorts, “I’m not cold.” Back and forth they banter, until a storm demonstrates how reassuring the safety of their den can be. Little Bear denies any weakness, though: “Winter is very long,” he tells his mother, “and I thought you might get lonely.” Rebellious children will recognize themselves with a smile. Ages 2-5. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

Getting right to the heart of a child’s inner life, this is a little gem.

Booklist, STARRED REVIEW - Ilene Cooper

A lovely book about a determined little bear and his patient mother that will be popular for storytime or at bedtime, especially in winter.

Bayviews - Samantha Godbey

PreS-K—Little bear doesn't want to hibernate. His mother gives many reasons why it's time to go to sleep—winter is very long, the wind will blow hard, and the snow will be deep—but cub has a counterpoint for every argument. "'You'll freeze out here,' said mother bear./'I'm not cold,' said little bear." "'There's no food to eat,' said mother bear./'I saved some berries,' said little bear." When the cub finds himself alone in a storm, he realizes that maybe staying out in the cold by himself wasn't the best idea. Spare illustrations with strong lines and shapes pleasantly portray this simple story. Three wordless spreads depict little bear's time alone in the increasingly snowy landscape. Sure to be a crowd pleaser.—Sarah Polace, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Parma, OH

School Library Journal

As she did in My Little Polar Bear (2009), Rueda creates a conversation between mother and cub. This time, however, a little black bear is asserting his independence by using one of his favorite words: "NO." Mother suggests that it is time to hibernate for the winter, but little bear has other ideas. With each gentle warning from mother—"The wind will blow hard"—little bear has an assured response. "I am very strong," he says. So he is left alone, celebrating his victory. But when a blinding snowstorm practically buries little bear, he realizes mother might have known best. He rushes back to the cave. But he'll certainly never admit the real reason to Mamma, instead impishly suggesting that he's just there to keep her company. Flat figures in a minimal wintry palette nevertheless burst with personality, abetted by clever compositions. Set against a spare, pale background, snow falls down in bold splatters, increasing with each page turn. Little bear's tireless opposition will resonate with every parent, and maybe—just maybe—a toddler or two will learn a lesson along the way. (Picture book. 2-5)

Kirkus Reviews

"Rebellious children will recognize themselves with a smile." —Publishers Weekly, on the English language edition


"Sure to be a crowd pleaser." —School Library Journal, starred review, on the English language edition


"Getting right to the heart of a child’s inner life, this is a little gem." —Booklist, starred review, on the English language edition

From the Publisher