This book is about a mother bear and her cub surviving the cold winter and the hardships that come along with that. The mother bear warns her cub the winter may be dangerous but he insists he is strong enough to handle it. I like the fact that this book incorporates full page pictures. I really feel that helps immerse the reader more into the story, especially when it comes to younger readers. ( )

"It's time to go to sleep," said mother bear.
"No," said little bear. "I don't want to go to sleep."

As the two bears trudge through a landscape that slowly fills with snow, the mother bear explains all the reasons why they will sleep, and the little bear continues to discount them. Until at last, the wind and the snow become too much, and the little bear returns to their cave: "Mamma, I'm back...Winter is very long and you might get lonely." ( )

Il est temps d’aller dormir, annonce la maman ours à son petit. Mais le jeune ourson n’en a aucune envie. Il n’aura pas froid, mangera les quelques noix qu’il a encore, sera très fort et s’amusera durant tout l’hiver. Hors de question d’hiberner pour le jeune ourson qui adore la neige ! Changera-t-il d’avis ?
Au début, les premiers flocons tombent sur les pages colorées. Puis, au fur et à mesure, les pages deviennent de plus en plus blanches. Symbolisant l’avancée de l’hiver, cette évolution accompagne l’histoire et l’inscrit dans le temps. Lorsque le jeune ourson comprend son erreur, les pages deviennent presque muettes, laissant le lecteur interpréter les réactions du personnage. Et le dénouement, amusant et rassurant, achèvera sans doute de le charmer.
Cette histoire pleine de tendresse incite ainsi à réfléchir sur les relations parents-enfants et ravit par la douceur des illustrations. ( )

I loved the graphics of this book. The cover caught my eye, it sort of stood out at the library, and the story is fine. My son is of age to know that what baby bear says and does may not be right, that mommy probably knows best, so the thread is mostly predictable but sweet nonetheless. But, the pictures are very cool in their simpleness. I especially liked a couple of pictures where the angle was from above, showing perspective with only a silhouette. A very nice touch!

This is pretty much an early reader, not many words per page, predictable story line. ( )

Mother always knows best. Delightful! ( )