Can't You Sleep, Little Bear? - Hardcover

Waddell, Martin

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 156402007X ISBN 13: 9781564020079

Publisher: Candlewick, 1992

Synopsis

"I don't like the dark," said Little Bear.
"What dark?" said Big Bear.
"The dark all around us," said Little Bear.

In this tender account of a sleepless night in the bear cave, Big Bear sets out with all his patience and understanding to show Little Bear that the dark is nothing to be afraid of. When all the lanterns in the cave aren't enough to quell Little Bear's troubled emotions, Big Bear offers—in a final loving gesture—nothing less than the bright yellow moon and the twinkling stars! More comforting than even the best of lullabies, this bedtime story is destined to become a classic.

About this title

About the Author:

Martin Waddell is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest living writers of books for children. He has won many awards, including the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2004. Martin lives in Northern Ireland. Barbara Firth illustrated the award-winning Big and Little Bear series by Martin Waddell and, in 1989, she won the Emil/Kurt Maschler Award for The Park in the Dark, also written by Martin Waddell. She lives in Harrow.

From Publishers Weekly:

Move over, Goodnight Moon . Margaret Wise Brown's enduring bedtime classic may have found a worthy successor in this collaboration by Waddell and Firth ( The Park in the Dark ; We Love Them ). Their gentle story is, in fact, highly reminiscent of Brown at her snug and cozy best. Set in a forest in winter, the tale features a winning bear duo--a great tender-hearted fellow named Big Bear and an exuberant toddler named Little Bear. After a busy day playing in the snow, the two retire to the Bear Cave, where Little Bear is bundled off to his bed in a shadowy corner while Big Bear settles down to read by the fireside. When Little Bear can't sleep--"I don't like the dark"--Big Bear fetches a tiny lantern and returns to his chair. This exchange is repeated several times, with Big Bear patiently bringing ever-larger lanterns, until finally the little chap points at the dark outside. The two venture forth to look at the night ("I've brought you the moon, Little Bear," said Big Bear. "The bright yellow moon and all the twinkly stars"), and the cub falls asleep in Big Bear's arms. Waddell's tranquil tale is perfectly attuned to a child's need for security and bedtime ritual; combined with Firth's serene watercolors, it's a triumph of genuine affection. Young readers will delight in the text's repetition and revel in the illustrations' warm details--as Big Bear reads in the aptly named Bear Chair (complete with claws and paws), for example, Little Bear can be glimpsed frolicking on his bed. These memorable bruins--worthy companions of Pooh and Paddington--inhabit a sweet, reassuring world that children (and adults) will want to enter again and again. Ages 3-up.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Candlewick
• Publication date: 1992
• ISBN 10: 156402007X
• ISBN 13: 9781564020079
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Firth Barbara