SLEEPYHEAD BEAR

Bear is kept from his summertime snooze by buzzing, stinging and whirring bugs. Growling, swimming, swatting and climbing fail as escape attempts. In desperation, he climbs inside a too-small hollow log that then rolls down a hill, tossing poor bear into a meadow. By now, he is too tired and sore to even attempt to elude the bugs. But maybe he doesn’t have to. Summer is filled with non-annoying insects, too—bugs that flutter and tickle bear’s bad mood away. As the stars and fireflies come out, snoring can be heard coming from bear’s direction. Peters’s attempt to stick to the rhyme scheme often sacrifices the rhythm of the verses—those who share this aloud may stumble. Spot-on facial expressions make Schoenherr’s illustrations shine. His renderings of the insects are remarkably lifelike, while bear and the raccoons are stuffed animals come alive. This dichotomy enhances the bear-against-the-bugs aspect of the story. A sweet summertime bedtime tale sure to garner an empathetic smile from anyone who has ever suffered mosquito-buzzing-in-the-ear insomnia. (Picture book. 4-8)