Review by Booklist Review
Shivery and lonely, little Snowy Bear looks for shelter as he makes his way across the winter landscape. A promising burrow in the ground turns out to be a den crowded with Fox and her cubs. A hole in a tree is taken by Owl and her chicks. Finally, he trudges toward a small farmhouse. Quietly opening the door, Snowy Bear sees a solitary child. She welcomes him, reads to him by the fire, and falls asleep that night beside her new friend. There's a dreamlike quality to the narrative, but, despite the nighttime setting, it's more of a daydream, a cozy fantasy in which loneliness ends with a warm bear hug. Written in rhymed couplets, the verse rolls along nicely, relieving the chilly isolation of the early story with the warmth and comfort of the ending. The appealing illustrations, created with acrylics and colored pencils, make the most of the change when the farmhouse door opens and the palette shifts from cool tones to rich, warm colors. An inviting choice for winter storytimes.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2015 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A tiny white bear searches for a home in a snowy woodland. An owl and a fox turn him away, but a girl in a farmhouse illuminated by firelight happily welcomes him: "The girl takes the bear in her cuddly lap,/ and they both snuggle down for a midwinter nap." In addition to Clement Clarke Moore, there's also an echo of Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" in some of Mitton's rhymes ("Behind him his prints trace a long, weary line,/ but ahead the snow's waiting, unbroken and fine"). Brown contrasts warm and cold tones in her colored pencil and acrylic art; the cozy conclusion should hit the sweet spot for a snowy evening read. Ages 3-6. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-A furry little white bear, reminiscent of Peter in Ezra Jack Keats's The Snowy Day is outside on a cold winter day. "Here is a bear who has nowhere to go, so he's plodding along through the cold winter snow. Behind him his prints trace a long, weary line, but ahead the snow's waiting, unbroken and fine." He searches high and low for a warm, cozy place to sleep, but has no luck. At last he comes upon a small farmhouse, and finds a roaring fire and a lonely little girl who is happy to have the company. They play games, read stories and "snuggle down for a midwinter nap." The artwork, created with acrylic paint and colored pencil, is charming but the story is ever so slight. VERDICT There are far better books about winter, snowy days, and bears.-Gwen Collier, Buffalo and Erie County Public Library, NY © Copyright 2015. 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
Unable to find refuge in other animals' already-crowded homes, a lone little bear wandering in the cold wintery night finds comfort and companionship inside a cozy farmhouse. In the acrylic and colored-pencil illustrations, windy blues abruptly change to glowing firelight reds as a lonely little girl welcomes the bear into her home, reinforcing the singsongy rhyming text's emphasis on warmth, kindness, and friendship. (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Where, oh where, can this little polar bear lay his head? Snowy Bear braves a blizzard, a fox's den, and a precarious climb into an owl's nest searching for a warm place to cuddle and sleep. Neither the fox nor the owl has room for the lonely, shivering bear, and so Snowy Bear trudges on until he finds a cozy farmhouse. The little white cub sneaks inside only to discover a little girl as lonely as he. They share a hug, a story, and finally a napeach glad to have finally found a friend. Mitton's rhyming story skates on the edge of maudlin. "There by the window a child stands alone. / No one is with her. She's all on her own. / She looks through the window and out at the snow. / She's a little bit lonely, Bear seems to know." However, Brown's (Eddie and Dog, 2013) endearingly cute bear tips the balance, driving this winter's tale about loneliness and the power of friendship. Her acrylic-and-pencil illustrations depict a little bear that looks like a hairy pillow with stubby arms and legs and a big black nose in a snowy world that's much too big for him. On the final page, he's got his little thumb in his mouth. An unapologetically sweet book that will engage both little and big hearts alike. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
