Lovely soft watercolor illustrations and text that's informative while still being entertaining.

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book through NetGalley. ( )

Baby Black Bear is determined not to hibernate in this entertaining tale from author Lynn Plourde and illustrator Teri Weidner, deciding that he will experience winter with his friends Owl, Moose and Hare instead. Indulgent Papa Bear, wise to ways of young cubs, follows from a distance as his son attempts to stay awake, always there to provide food and shelter, but removed enough from the situation to give Baby Bear a sense of exploring on his own. Eventually Baby Bear realizes that snuggling with his warm parents is the best way to pass the winter, and his friends help him get back to his den...

Although anthropomorphized quite a bit, Baby Bear and his family and friends are also naturalistic enough that younger children will get a sense from the story how each animal lives during the winter, whether it be the bears hibernating or the moose subsisting on twigs and bark. This makes Baby Bear's Not Hibernating a useful story, both as a bedtime selection - don't many children resist going to sleep? - and as an introduction to the winter habits of a number of species. The author's informative afterword provides more details about black bears. The artwork is quite appealing, capturing Baby Bear's adorable antics, as well as the beauty of the winter world around him. Recommended to anyone looking for new children's stories about hibernation, bedtime resistance, winter-time, and/or bears. ( )

This book had me at the first page. Baby Bear is a cute and stubborn little bear who loves winter! He does not want to hibernate and sleep through the season so, when his parents head off to the den to sleep, he says good-bye, see you in the spring and heads off to visit his friends. He has some great friends who teach him what they do in the winter, and a heart warmingly protective dad.

This is a gorgeous little picture book with wonderful illustrations done in watercolour. It is a cute story that could be used for children as a bedtime story but also to teach about winter, what some animals do in the winter and fun facts about bears. There is some great information about bears at the back of the book. I can easily see it becoming a family favourite.

I would recommend this book for family libraries, pre-school classes and primary schools. This book will become a well loved story to be read over and over. The publisher generously provided me with a pre-release copy of this book. ( )

Baby Black Bear is planning to stay awake the who-o-o-o-o-le winter. To be prepared he asks his friends for smarts way to survive. Hoow does owl stay awake all winter? What does moose eat when all the leaves are gone? How does hare keep himself warm? When the first snow comes Baby bear says goodbye to his parents and gets himself ready for the adventure. But the branch breaks when he tries to lie on it. And frozen twigs for dinner is not what he was expecting. He also is too big to fit in hare's burrow, nor he has the same thick fur for keeping him warm. Thankfully Papa bear is taking care of him from a safe distance.
Maybe taking a short nap before spring is not such a bad idea after all...

This is a cute bed time story. Any kid can relate with the fascinating idea of skipping sleep and staying awake the whole night, even it that means yawning endlessly. Baby bear is incredibly sweet. The beautiful illustrations make you want to touch the soft bear's fur, and to roll on the snow. At the end of the book there are a couple of pages with interesting facts about black bears to add some learning to the experience. We really enjoyed this book!

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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