Review by Booklist Review
Chaucer the bear cub is very surprised to learn from his friends Kit (a fox) and Nugget (a squirrel) that bears sleep all winter. When the familiar landscape becomes covered in snow, Chaucer finds the season too irresistible to miss, and despite the encouragement of his parents to hibernate, he stays awake to experience snowflakes melting on his tongue, sledding, snowball fights, and walking (and falling) on ice. Cole's acrylic, pencil, and ink illustrations contrast winter's cool palette with the warm hues of Chaucer and his friends, whose youthful exuberance bounds across the pages. Every spread is filled with images of the animal friends having fun, creating a cozy, comfortable setting made even safer by Chaucer's parents, who appear throughout the story, secretly checking on their cub. When an exhausted Chaucer returns to the family cave after spring arrives, his many stories will have to wait until his much-needed nap is over. Young readers will enjoy witnessing Chaucer's delight in the wonders of winter as well as his welcome return home.--Cox, Ernie Copyright 2009 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-This addition to the crowded field of winter, bear, and snow books lacks internal logic and breaks no new ground. When his friends tell Chaucer (a little bear) that they will miss him because he will sleep through the winter, and his parents tell him it will be good for him, Chaucer "[is] not convinced." Instead, he stays awake, experiencing snowball fights, icy ponds, icicles, and sliding down hills. When a big storm hits, he builds a snow fort to protect his friends and, predictably, when spring comes, he falls asleep. Oddly, his parents appear in the background of a number of illustrations, awake as well. Cole's cuddly cartoon animals, which sport scarves but no other clothing, are rendered in acrylic paint, colored pencil, and ink. The pictures are large and inviting, primarily done in full-bleed spreads, with spot art and single-page illustrations adding motion and interest. For a better book about a bear resisting hibernation, stick with Catherine Walters's When Will It Be Spring? (Dutton, 1998; o.p.). Leonid Gore's Danny's First Snow (S & S, 2007) and Ezra Jack Keats's The Snowy Day (Viking, 1962) do a better job of exploring the joys of winter.-Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Chaucer, a bear cub, decides not to hibernate so he can discover the joys of wintertime. Glimpses of his parents reveal that they, too, have skipped hibernation to keep an eye on the cub. The story, while not particularly original, is full of lively illustrations showing Chaucer and his animal friends. This paper-over-board edition is notable for its bargain price. Copyright 2010 of The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Chaucer, a little bear cub, decides not to hibernate so he can keep playing with his friends, a fox and a squirrel, all winter. They teach him about snowball fights, ice "skating" and sledding, but when a blizzard threatens, Chaucer intuitively builds a snow den to keep them all safe. The story is so full of holes it's practically mesh: What does Chaucer eat all winter? How is it he doesn't even get sleepy? What about his parents? Cole's illustrations depict a teddy-bearlike Chaucer disporting himself while his benignly smiling parents keep an eye on him in the background. Krensky's text shines in its use of dialogue, if not in its observance of natural history, and kids who can overlook its logical gaps will probably get a chuckle or two out of it. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
