ALA Booklist (Thu Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

It's winter. Snow is falling, but Bear wakes up and can't get back to sleep. Leaving his mother and brothers slumbering in their cave, he walks to a distant city where no one seems to sleep at all. He enjoys a parade, a zoo, the Statue of Liberty, an opera, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where he suddenly feels drowsy. Unfortunately, he can't find a good place for snoozing in this bustling metropolis. Turned away from one spot after another, he makes the long trek home, snuggles in with his family, and dozes off at last. The book features several New York City landmarks, though the "very big city" is never named. Simply written in a matter-of-fact tone, the text works well with the beguiling mixed-media artwork. A little bird trails along behind Bear, apparently unnoticed by him and never acknowledged in the text, but fun to search for in every scene. Beginning with an adventure and ending with a soporific scene, here's a satisfying bedtime book with broad appeal.

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

A little bear who can't sleep wanders the snowy woods in his nightcap and pajamas with his pillow tucked under his arm; he eventually arrives in "the city that never sleeps": New York City. Appealing, comical illustrations juxtapose the clamor and wakefulness of the city and the growing sleepiness of the sightseeing bear in this warm, just-right bedtime story.

School Library Journal (Sat Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

PreS Little Bear wanders out of his family's warm den and sets off through the snowy trees one night when he cannot sleep. He walks and walks "until he arrive[s] at a very big city"New York. Bear finds himself surrounded by entertainment. Parades march by with colorful balloons, friends are made at the Central Park Zoo, a tall green lady stands guard in a harbor, and even the opera beckons to Bear. While gazing at a Jackson Pollock painting at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bear decides that he could stay in the city all winter&30;if he weren't getting so, so sleepy. Hushed mixed-media artwork comprised of pencils, pastels, and a touch of watercolor, rendered in muted shades of blues and grays, is quietly stunning, particularly a spread of Bear curled up at the bottom of a tree dappled in snow, illuminated by the hazy yellow beam of a park ranger's flashlight. Bear eventually stumbles home, walking, walking, walking back to his family "and the quiet sounds of winter." VERDICT A first-rate debut that deserves a spot on storytime shelves to share with little bears everywhere. Lisa Kropp, Lindenhurst Memorial Library, NY