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WIDE-AWAKE BEAR

Name: WIDE-AWAKE BEAR
Author: Pat Zietlow Miller
ISBN: 978-0-06-235603-1

by Pat Zietlow Miller ; illustrated by Jean Kim ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 2, 2018

A warm, cozy counterpoint to Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman’s Bear Snores On (2002) but without the “Again! Again!”...

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While all bears grow heavy-eyed in the winter, some little cubs—like some little humans—are too anxious to sleep.

Elliott can’t quite catch a wink when his mother bear tells him it’s time to nap until spring. He misses the season too much—and he’s impatient for it to come. He tries again and again to lull himself to sleep (changing his position, fluffing the bark strips, plumping up his pine-needle pillow), but nothing works. He is “Still. Wide. Awake”—a pleasing refrain. When he starts seeing scary shadows, Elliott turns to his mother for comfort. She instructs him to look closer to see the signs of spring. Sure enough, Elliott sees a “brave bud” growing in the snow, and he decides that if spring is asleep, he may as well sleep too. The refrain, poetic imagery, and well-paced sentences make this a smooth read-aloud. Yet it’s a bit too text-heavy—explaining too much at times when the art could do the heavy lifting. Kim’s soft, digitally colored graphite pencil illustrations evoke the comfort of the winter cave. The endpapers, featuring slice-of-life depictions of fall and spring, are a fitting frame.

A warm, cozy counterpoint to Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman’s Bear Snores On (2002) but without the “Again! Again!” readability. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018

ISBN: 978-0-06-235603-1

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Oct. 9, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2017

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS

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UNSTOPPABLE JOHN
by Pat Zietlow Miller ; illustrated by Jerry Jordan

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LUPE LOPEZ
by e.E. Charlton-Trujillo & Pat Zietlow Miller ; illustrated by Joe Cepeda

- BOOK REVIEW
A GIRL CAN BUILD ANYTHING
by e.E. Charlton-Trujillo & Pat Zietlow Miller ; illustrated by Keisha Morris

WHEN I TALK TO GOD, I TALK ABOUT FEELINGS

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WHEN I TALK TO GOD, I TALK ABOUT FEELINGS

by Chrissy Metz & Bradley Collins ; illustrated by Lisa Fields ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 4, 2025

A tender book to help little ones make sense of the emotions around prayer.

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Actor Metz and songwriter Collins join illustrator Fields in their second faith-related title for young children.

Instead of focusing on the language of prayer—what to say or how to say it—this book explores a topic central to the lives of the very young: their feelings around talking to God. Rhymes and near-rhymes in the AABB verses enumerate the simple challenges and triumphs experienced by a series of animals: “Sometimes I’m sad, not sure what to do. / There are days I feel teary, unhappy, or blue. / I fell off a log. I’m embarrassed and hurt. / My coat and paws are all covered in dirt.” An accompanying illustration depicts a sad wolf pup, a definite contrast to its siblings, who are delighting in their play. The highlight of the book is Fields’ animal characters. Whether happy, nervous, or sad, their expressive faces are easy to read, and their feelings will be familiar to young tots. The beaver’s frustration is palpable, and the tears in the scared raccoon’s eyes may just make readers’ own eyes well up. Some of the animals have a God stand-in to help them with their feelings—a friend or family member—but the final spread shows all the individual animals coming together in a couple of group hugs that express where children can find support (and sweetly defy predator–prey relationships).

A tender book to help little ones make sense of the emotions around prayer. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: March 4, 2025

ISBN: 9780593691366

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Flamingo Books

Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024

Categories:

CHILDREN'S RELIGIOUS FICTION | CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

- BOOK REVIEW
WHEN I TALK TO GOD, I TALK ABOUT YOU
by Chrissy Metz & Bradley Collins ; illustrated by Lisa Fields

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DIGGERSAURS

by Michael Whaite ; illustrated by Michael Whaite ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 2, 2019

Count on construction die-hards falling in love, but discerning readers would be wise to look elsewhere for their...

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Less ambitious than Chris Gall’s widely known Dinotrux (2009) and sequels, this British import systematically relegates each dinosaur/construction-equipment hybrid to its most logical job.

The title figures are introduced as bigger than both diggers and dinosaurs, and rhyming text and two construction-helmeted kids show just what these creatures are capable of. Each diggersaur has a specific job to do and a distinct sound effect. The dozersaurus moves rocks with a “SCRAAAAPE!!!” while the rollersaurus flattens lumps with a cheery “TOOT TOOT!!” Each diggersaur is numbered, with 12 in all, allowing this to be a counting book on the sly. As the diggersaurs (not all of which dig) perform jobs that regular construction equipment can do, albeit on a larger scale, there is no particular reason why any of them should have dinosaurlike looks other than just ’cause. Peppy computer art tries valiantly to attract attention away from the singularly unoriginal text. “Diggersaurs dig with bites so BIG, / each SCOOP creates a crater. // They’re TOUGH and STRONG / with necks so long— / they’re super EXCAVATORS!” Far more interesting are the two human characters, a white girl and a black boy, that flit about the pictures offering commentary and action. Much of the fun of the book can be found in trying to spot them on every two-page spread.

Count on construction die-hards falling in love, but discerning readers would be wise to look elsewhere for their dino/construction kicks. (Picture book. 3-6)