“A Bedtime for Bear” by Bonny Becker. (Book Review)

February 8, 2016 Derrick GambleBooks

“A Bedtime for Bear (Bear and Mouse)” is an adorable bedtime book to add to your nighttime routine. Written with humor and sweetness by Bonny Becker, this is the story of Bear, who receives an unexpected overnight guest in Mouse. While Mouse is excited for a sleepover, and being a fairly easy, quiet visitor, Bear is difficult to please, expecting complete and utter silence from his guest. Mouse can honestly not believe even his quiet rustlings are heard, and starts to test the limits! “Mouse slid from his bed, went into the closet, and said in the tiniest possible voice into the farthest, darkest, teeniest possible corner of the closet, “Surely you can’t-“ “Will this torment never cease!” wailed Bear. Dolly and I laughed and laughed at grumpy ol’ Bear, who obviously has a slight flair for the dramatics! But in the middle of the night, when the slightest creak in the floorboards sends Bear into a nervous panic, it is his “loud” friend Mouse who settles him back to sleep.

We love this unlikely duo, and their atypical personality traits (big bear is the scaredy cat who needs it to be quiet as a mouse in order to sleep, while little mouse is the fearless protector). We adore bear and his big body but his feet that tiptoe like a ballerina, and his long grumpy nose. Dolly adored Mouse and his happy demeanor. We giggled when he whispered from under his pillow and did the same ourselves. The illustrations by Kady MacDonald Denton, drawn from very light pastel colors to deeper nighttime blues, are beautiful and relaxing and make you feel cozy enough to nod off yourself!