Bear Is Not Tired

Ciara Gavin graduated from the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, Ireland. Her work appears in the National Museum of Decorative Arts and History there and has been exhibited at galleries throughout Ireland. She lives in Dublin with her son.

PreS-Gr 1—In Room For Bear (Knopf, 2015), Gavin introduced Bear into the duck family, where they are now all living quite happily. So happily, in fact, that Bear does not want to hibernate and miss all the fun the rest of his family will be having. Therefore, he decides to stay awake. He has his winter clothes all ready, and he's not the least bit sleepy. Despite his best efforts and those of his siblings, Bear begins to fall asleep at the most inconvenient times—while playing tennis, eating, boating, washing clothes, etc. Mama Duck finally explains that you can't fight who you are and sends Bear off to sleep with the promise that he won't miss a thing. When Bear awakes in the spring, she produces a photo album showing how he was included all winter long. Gavin's sweet and amusing illustrations of ducks and Bear are just as endearing in this story as in the first book. The warm watercolor and pencil depictions are matched with simple, uncluttered text. The end page shows charming "photos" of how Bear was included in the family all winter long. This is a good choice for storytime and individual sharing that pairs well with Monica Carnesi's Sleepover with Beatrice & Bear (Dial, 2014) and Michelle Meadows's Hibernation Station (S. & S., 2010). VERDICT A gentle story about being true to yourself and the love of family.—Catherine Callegari, Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NH