Can't You Sleep, Little Bear?

By Martin Waddell, Illustrated by Barbara Firth

This book has won all sorts of awards, but it is actually my least favorite member of the Big Bear, Little Bear series. It is still quite good and I like it, I just like the others in the series much better. This one, after the 3rd or 4th reading, starts to get on my nerves a bit. Maybe it's because similar things have happened at our house... Little Bear is trying here to get over his fear of the dark. Big Bear, as usual, helps him out. I would NOT recommend reading this to your child if it has not yet occurred to him or her to be afraid of the dark--no need to go putting ideas in little heads before their time!

Let's Go Home, Little Bear

By Martin Waddell, Illustrated by Barbara Firth

This is a good book to read with your little one on a snowy day. Big Bear and Little Bear are out for a wintery walk in the woods when little bear hears something... Sometimes things that are really quite ordinary can seem rather scary out of context. Big Bear helps to assuage Little Bear's fears and the end up cozily in the Bear Chair at the end of the day.

You and Me, Little Bear

By Martin Waddell, Illustrated by Barbara Firth

I can't decide if this or Good Job, Little Bear is my favorite in the series. Here we see Big Bear balancing the need to do chores (and sleep...) with Little Bear's need for attention. Little Bear also learns to play well by himself while he waits his turn. Big Bear and Little Bear do a good job of showing a loving, nurturing relationship without being sappy or trite. Too often kids' books go over the top when trying to show love. In this series, Waddell finds just the right pitch. Firth's bear illustrations mirror this balance as Big Bear and Little Bear are endearing and manage to show emotion in their expressions without being the completely unrealistic, puffy looking things one often finds in children's books about bears.

Good Job, Little Bear

By Martin Waddell, Illustrated by Barbara Firth

I absolutely love this series. Waddell has written many excellent children's books, but the Big Bear and Little Bear stories are my favorite. They each depict real concerns of small children--this one addresses the urge for independence, balanced with the need to feel safe and loved--and they model some really excellent parenting. The best thing of all, though, is that this excellent parenting is performed by a Dad bear for a change. It is certainly good for children to see loving Moms in their stories, but Dads often get short shrift. Kudos to Martin Waddell and Big Bear for giving the male parental unit part of his share of appreciation.

Hairdo!

By Ruth Freeman Swain

My 3-year-old loves nonfiction. From reading these sorts of books, she has an amazing number of random facts stored in her little head, which she brings out at interesting moments. This book is an engaging trot through the history of hair, filled with amusing (and sometimes icky--bugs, lard, etc.) facts and anecdotes. I learned as much from this book as my daughter did. I look forward to reading Freeman Swain's other books.

There Are Cats In This Book

By Viviane Schwarz

This interactive book is lots of fun for kids and parents--maybe not the best idea for grabby babies as there are lots of flips and flaps that could easily be torn off by eager chubby fingers--but very engaging for the slightly older child. The story starts on the front cover and doesn't end until you actually close the book. Each page has fun things to do with Moonpie, Tiny, and Andre, and I think the text is hilarious (I do have an odd sense of humor, though, so let me know what YOU think!). My favorite part is "mmm I feel fluffy!" You can even get knitting patterns for the characters: http://www.walker.co.uk/UserFiles/file/There%20are%20cats/catknitting%20small.pdf

The only problem with this book is that it is so much fun it will produce more laughs than yawns. Maybe it is more of a "good morning" book than a "good night" one.