From Bogey Bear
Karma Wilson is my favorite author - the snappy rhyming verses she
creates are some of the best I have ever read. Her words just roll
off your tongue and children love to hear them. Its such a treat
the way she makes our language sound fun.
All of her books are great, but my favorite is the first one I ever read, the first book Karma published, Bear Snores On. It is a funny funny story about a blizzard. All the animals in the forest get out of the storm and have a party in a hybernating bear's cave. They have a wild party, but the bear snores on, until the end of the book - great surprise.
About the Book
One by one, a whole host of different animals and birds find their way
out of the cold and into Bear's cave to warm up. But even after the tea
has been brewed and the corn has been popped, Bear just snores on!
See what happens when he finally wakes up and finds his cave full of uninvited guests -- all of them having a party without him!
From Amazon.com
On a cold windy night, an itty-bitty mouse "pitter-pat, tip-toe,
creep-crawls" into a sleeping bear's cozy lair, looking for relief from
the bitter winter weather. Soon he is joined by a veritable menagerie of
woodland animals, and the party begins. Popping corn, brewing tea,
tweeting, and chatting, the critters enjoy themselves thoroughly while
the bear slumbers through it all. Until, that is, an errant pepper flake
from the simmering stew wakes him up with a giant sneeze. As the bear
goes from ferocious snarls and rumbles to pitiful whimpers, his
uninvited guests realize what the problem is.
You've snuck in my lair
and you've all had fun!
But me? I was sleeping
and I have had none!
Not to worry. Mouse knows just what to do.
First-time author Karma Wilson and artist Jane Chapman (illustrator of
Phyllis Root's One Duck Stuck) have created a charming little tale of
sharing and caring that will have readers of all ages cheering at the
humorous finale. (Ages 3 to 7) --Emilie Coulter
From Publishers Weekly
The title also serves as the book's refrain: because he's hibernating,
the fluffy, snoring Bear remains oblivious as Mouse, Hare, Badger, Mole,
Wren and Raven seek refuge in his cave from the blowing snow and frigid
temperatures. Working in soft-textured acrylics, Chapman (Happy and
Honey) makes both the biting weather and the warm, womb-like shelter of
Bear's cave palpable.
The once bedraggled animals perk up considerably, and first-time
author Wilson describes the ensuing high spirits with a musical flair:
"They tweet and they titter./ They chat and they chitter./ But the bear
snores on." There's a moment of tension when Bear unexpectedly wakes up
and the uninvited guests wonder if they'll be evicted. But Wilson
demonstrates how well she knows her audience: the bear only bemoans the
fact that he slept through all the fun; the unwitting host proves that
he may be the biggest party animal of all. Ages 3-7.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
reS-Gr 3-Wilson has crafted a story that is just right for chilly winter
nights. Snow is falling and Bear is sound asleep in his warm, dark cave.
Trying to escape the weather, Mouse crawls inside and builds a fire.
Seeing the crackling blaze, Hare hops in to share some popcorn and black
tea. One by one, other woodland creatures join the impromptu party, each
bringing a contribution. Through it all "-the bear snores on" until,
finally, a small fleck of pepper makes him sneeze.
Once he is awake, his gruff reaction to the merrymaking is not exactly welcoming, but he quickly comes around. The cadence of the narrative is infectious: "And they nibble and they munch with a/CHEW-/CHOMP-/CRUNCH!/But/the bear/snores on." The layout, with unusual breaks and oversized verbs, emphasizes the rhythm of the story. The characters are infused with warmth and humor.
Though anthropomorphic, they retain their realism, due in part to the detail with which they are rendered. The warm, soft tones of these acrylic illustrations perfectly capture the coziness of Bear's lair and capture the action. The descriptive rhyming text, reminiscent of Bill Martin, Jr.'s Listen to the Rain (Holt, 1988), is perfect for reading aloud as well as for one-on-one sharing. Kids will ask for this book again and again.
Heather E. Miller, Homewood Public Library, AL Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.From Booklist
Ages 3-6. "In a cave in the woods, in his deep, dark lair, through the
long, cold winter sleeps a great brown bear." To the rhythm of such
fetching verses, a tiny mouse seeks shelter in a bear's snug cave. A
hare soon follows, and the two quietly pop corn and brew tea as "bear
snores on." Then a badger arrives with crunchy nuts to share, followed
by a gopher, a mole, a wren, and a raven.
Bear's den is full and noisy (as indicated by the large, bold type), but bear still "snores on." Then a fleck of pepper for the stew mouse is seasoning makes Bear sneeze, and he awakens to the revelers in his cave. Happy for the company and the food they have prepared, he stays up all night telling stories. In the morning,
it's Bear who is awake; everyone else is fast asleep and snoring. The comfy look of Bear's cave and the snappy rhythm of the text beckon youngsters into the story, and the expressively drawn, amusingly posed animal characters ensure repeated readings.
Ellen MandelCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
From Kirkus Reviews
Snug in his cave, not even some visitors seeking shelter from the storm
can wake Bear. Mouse arrives and builds a small fire to warm the chilly
air. Hare arrives and they pop corn and brew tea, but even the slurping
and burping doesn't bother Bear.
Even when Badger passes out crunchy honey nuts and more guests begin arriving, "Bear snores on." By the time Gopher, Mole, Wren, and Raven arrive, it's a full-blown party. "And they nibble and they munch with a chew-chomp-crunch! But the bear snores on." Nothing seems to bother Bear, at least until an errant pepper flake from the stew tickles his nose. Sneezing awake, Bear is furious, but not because everyone is having a party in his cave, but because he has slept through it all.
The other animals comfort Bear by insisting that the party is just beginning. Stories and food carry the party until dawn and as all the other animals snuggle in to sleep, only Bear is left awake unable to recapture his slumber. An icy blue palette illustrates the cold winter night, while the cave's interior is rendered in warm tones of reds and browns.
The delightful illustrations on over-sized pages depicting the animals' party are the perfect accompaniment to the lyrical text. Little ones will snuggle into bed on a snowy night to hear this one. "(Picture book. 3-6)"
About the Author
Karma Wilson's previous picture books include Bear Snores On, Bear Wants
More, Bear Stays Up for Christmas, and Mortimer's Christmas Manger, all
illustrated by Jane Chapman, One Day in the Middle of the Bog,
illustrated by Joan Rankin, and Hilda Must Be Dancing and Bear Hugs
illustrated by Suzanne Watts. She lives with her family in Fortine,
Montana. For more, please visit
her website.
About the Illustrator
Jane Chapman is the illustrator of several books for children including
Dilly Duckling by Claire Freedman and I Love My Mama by Peter Kavanagh,
as well as Karma Wilson's Bear Snores On, Bear Wants More, Bear Stays Up
for Christmas, and Mortimer's Christmas Manger. She lives with her
family in Dorset, England. Visit Jane at
her website.