ALA Booklist (Tue Nov 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

Night is on its way for the cozy residents of a forest glade. Fiery sunset hues are in sharp contrast to the crepuscular blues of the creatures, whose droopy eyelids and wilting postures presage bedtime. Each page turn reveals the escalating size of the animals and their matching yawns, from the sleepy mice all the way up to a huge mama bear, who "has a GREAT, BIG STRETCH." Baby bear, on the other hand, is ready to play (though his haggard expression suggests otherwise). He doesn't make it too far before he nods off, and the mama bear tucks him in with a sweet peck. While the narrative is slight, Haughton's beautiful scenes artfully carry the story. Dimming blues of the waning day gradually shift to deep red and purple-black as night descends, and the cyclical narrative has a nice, lulling quality. Endpapers bearing celestial diagrams of both the northern and southern stars gently emphasize the science behind the passing of day into night. Cozy, comforting, and perfect for bedtime.

Horn Book (Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2017)

Clever book design adds something extra to this bedtime book, illustrated with Haughton's signature blocky, digital illustrations, rendered in a jewel-toned palette. Tiered page progression tells how very sleepy several woodland animals are, but a wide-awake little bear is not sleepy. The cub eventually exhausts itself searching for playmates. A return home provides cozy closure for the little bear, and the other animals, too.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Haughton (Shh! We Have a Plan) sets aside his characteristically loopy humor in order to lull young children to sleep. Even the colors are soft-pedaled. As a palette of incandescent colors fades from hot vermilion to deep indigo, a series of graduated pages describes, from small to large, the growing drowsiness in the forest as night falls: -The mice are sleepy... the hares are sleepy... the deer are sleepy.- Even Great Big Bear stretches and yawns. Only Little Bear resists: -Well, I-m not sleepy,- he declares. But the rest of the forest creatures are too tired to play with him, and as the pages grow ever darker, into magenta and violet, Little Bear starts yawning and stretching, too. Despite their stripped-down, angular construction, Great Big Bear and Little Bear convey a sense of furry realness-especially when Little Bear gets -a great big goodnight kiss- from Great Big Bear, a massive, comforting presence. Children listening to Haughton-s story might not fall asleep, but they-ll have to admit that it-s getting to be about that time. Ages 2-5. (Dec.)

School Library Journal (Tue Nov 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

PreS-Gr 1 The sun is setting, and while the forest creatures feel the inevitable draw of slumber, Little Bear is wide awake. A fantastical purple and fuchsia woodland surrounds four mice, three hares, two deer, and Great Big Bear and her cub, Little Bear. In a series of introductory flaps, Haughton reveals how each animal group gets ready for bed, by establishing a simple pattern ideal for storytelling. Children will itch to join in as the mice yawn, the hares sigh, the deer take a deep breath, and Great Big Bear stretches. However, Little Bear does not feel sleepy and is determined to invite his friends to play. When sleep finally finds him, he follows the same path as the others: sighing, taking a deep breath, stretching, and yawning. Great Big Bear then gently carries him off to bed. Readers then say good night to each animal family in its home, starting with the mice. A dandelion appears, and a mouse's gentle snores blow seeds into the air. Dandelion seeds rise slowly into the sky on each subsequent page until the final page, where the moon is high and all are asleep. Small dots trail across the endpapers, too, like a continuation of the seeds and the animals' dreams. They soar around the southern and northern constellation maps to the forest shown on the earth in the solar system map. This is a charming addition about a dreamer's place within the wider world. VERDICT A stunning picture book for sharing during storytimes or quiet times before bed, this is a must for all collections. Rachel Zuffa, Racine Public Library, WI