Bear Snores On! (Book & DVD)

Wilson, K. (2002). Bear snores on. New York, NY: Margaret K. McElderry Books.

Lee, L. (Executive Producer), Gagne, P., Hirsch, K., Page, M., Schindel, M. (Producers), Cohen, S., Corra, L., Reilly, M. (Producer/directors), & Tercek, K. (Director). (2005). Bear snores on: and more stories to celebrate the seasons [DVD]. New York, NY: Weston Woods studio.

Interest Level: Ages 5 & under
Genre: Picture Book, Fiction
Subjects/Themes: Animals, Bears, Hibernation, Seasons,

Plot: Bear sleeps soundly in his cave while one by one different animals crawl in from the snow and throw a party. Everyone is having fun until Bear unexpectedly wakes up and is upset that they were having a party without him. Bear finally joins the party and stays awake until dawn and finds that all of his friends have fallen asleep.

Personal Thoughts: This is one of my favorite books to tell at storytime. The rhyming text is wonderfully suited for reading aloud and offers a variety of opportunities to mimic the different animal’s voices. The acrylic painting illustrations wonderfully depict the softness of the animals, the cold snow outside, and the warmth inside. Children love to gnarl, snarl, roar and snore with the bear.

You can also find this book on DVD. The DVD is wonderfully read in a nice slow tempo by the author Karma Wilson. The same types of illustrations are used from the book mixed with a small amount of stop and go animation. The DVD also contains the stories: Waiting for wings by Lois Ehlert; Come on, rain! by Karen Hesse; Snow cat by Dayal Kaur Khalsa; and Time of wonder by Robert McCloskey.

Other Books in the Series: Bear wants more (2003); Bear feels scared (2008); Bear feels sick (2007); Bear stays up for Christmas (2004); & Bear’s new friend (2006).

Author’s Website: http://www.karmawilson.com/