Horn Book (Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 2005)

Bear struggles to stay awake on Christmas Eve as he and his friends hunt for a tree, decorate it, and hang stockings. When the others nod off, Bear gets busy making and wrapping presents for everyone. The appealing illustrations, the smooth rhyme, and the catchy refrain of "the bear stays up" make this a satisfying addition to Wilson's other Bear books.

Kirkus Reviews

In this third story about Bear and his friends, Bear struggles to stay awake during the group's holiday preparations. On Christmas Eve, all the other animals fall asleep, but Bear stays up all night making presents for the others. He's so busy with his work that he misses the appearance of Santa, who pauses at the cave door to fill all their stockings. On Christmas morning, the smaller animals enjoy their own gifts and then surprise Bear with a comfy quilt for his long-awaited winter slumber. The rollicking rhyming text is punctuated with the regular refrain of "but the bear stays up," which will surely be chanted gleefully by children listening to this story. The illustrations do a fine job with animal expressions and with difficult situations such as a mole popping corn and a Raven stirring up some fruitcake. The oversized format includes many double-page spreads with the bumbling, big-hearted bear in action and then finally settling down for a long winter's nap, after which Bear had better be back. (Picture book. 3-7)

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

Bear's thoughtful buddies rouse him from his deep hibernation nap just in time for Christmas Eve. With creative planning, the animals get their ursine friend into the holiday spirit—and the Yuletide preparations. And by the time Santa makes his appearance, guess who's tuckered out? (<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Not a certain Bear.) This duo's latest Bear book sustains the sweetness and humor of its predecessors (<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Bear Snores On;<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC""> Bear Wants More) via rhyming, read-aloud-ready text and soft acrylic scenes of the cuddly creatures and wintry landscapes. Ages 3-7. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Oct.)

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2-It's the day before Christmas, and Bear's friends have gathered in his lair to wake him up to celebrate the holiday. They get a tree, pop corn and bake fruitcake, and hang stockings and hum songs. The others doze off, but Bear keeps busy wrapping presents, baking cookies, and decorating, unaware that a certain plump, red-suited gentleman is watching from outside the cave. The rhyming text sings, shouts, whispers, and crows, and the appealing acrylic illustrations are dear. This is an exuberant tale of friendship and perseverance, and holiday storytimes will be the brighter for it.-M. A. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.