Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Bear Stays Up for Christmas
Book Review: ------Lucky Bear to have such good friends-----
Summary: 5 Stars
Bears are pretty predictable and they need to sleep a lot during the winter. However, this year Bear's animal friends decided to wake him up on Christmas Eve so that he can enjoy Christmas Day! Mouse, Hare, Badger, Gopher, Mole, Raven and Wren are a colorful group of animals.
The story is told in rhyme and the animals all convince Bear that he must stay up and keep moving. They want to give him a wonderful Christmas and decorate his den. Together they find a Christmas tree, make decorations and sing Christmas carols and Bear stays up! After awhile, the animals fall asleep, one by one, but not Bear. He stays busy all night making surprises for his friends. When morning comes all the animals find that Bear made them presents and that Santa had also been there. One final gift is given and it's for Bear. A charming patchwork quilt to keep him warm. He's covered up by his friends and settles down for a nice long sleep.
I liked the way the animals showed concern for Bear and wanted to do something special for him. I think that was a good way to show that it's important to do something nice for another person. A kind act is another type of gift! As a quilter, I enjoyed seeing the quilt show up at the end of the story. Not sure who made it though, was it Santa or the animals? Quilting animals, maybe for another story.
I think this is a sweet Christmas story and has a lovely message for children.
Book Review: Cute, short, and well-illustrated, but just missing...something
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a good children's book, and probably is a good fit for children between the ages of 6 to 9, and should be easy for advanced first/second graders to pick-up and read. My daughter, who is 7, is capable of reading most of the words in the book, and only needs a little help.
The story follows bear and the other animals who try to keep bear (who normally hibernates in winter) awake so he can experience Christmas. Of course, the story takes an interesting twist, somewhat expected but cute. But I thought the last page of text could have been omitted, and the story would have ended perfectly. Instead, that last page of text almost makes you want to have more, and therefore...it seems like something is missing. I feel like the author took the story one page too far.
The book is well illustrated. The illustrations are softly drawn, but extremely detailed. They are a pleasure to look over. Some of the illustrations barely take up a whole page, while others are full-page, and still others run the width of the entire two pages. The colors are warm -- perfect for holidays. My daughter enjoyed pointing out the various animals and their antics on each of the pages. They are quite cute to look at.
I enjoyed the story, and so did my daughter. I just think if the author had chosen to leave out that final page of text, the book would have been "perfect". Otherwise, it's a great little addition to any child's book collection.
Book Review: Awwwww
Summary: 4 Stars
Colorful, comic illustrations are not the only thing this holiday story for kids ages 2-6 has going for it. An engaging cast of animal characters and a well-told story with a bit of a fun twist will catch their attention and captivate toddlers, beginning readers, maybe even a few older siblings. Little ones will be shouting along by the end of the story, and I bet they'll march around chanting the catchy lines of the rhyme. A comfy, cozy size for cuddling up and a relatively low price for the library bound Bear Stays Up should make it a popular gift this season. Book Review: Perfect Book for little ones
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the perfect book to teach little ones the real meaning of Christmas. There is way too much hype about presents and in this little book Bear and all of his friends have a great Christmas together. Bear's friends get him to stay up for Christmas instead of hibernating. In the end Bears friends all fall asleep on Christmas Eve and Bear stays up making gifts and cooking for his friends. This is a great story to remind everyone that Christmas is a time for family and friends.
My grandkids loved this book so much I will be looking forward to more books by this author.
Book Review: "Join Bear and his Friends for the Holidays!"
Summary: 5 Stars
You could fill a library with children's Christmas books. Many are saccharine. Most are trite. Some include great text, but lack compelling illustrations. Some contain lovely illustrations but have inappropriate text (i.e. difficult language, complex structure, or stilted rhythm). Bear Stays Up for Winter is a happy marriage of gorgeous, soft, compelling illustrations and a delightful, original story. It is a shining star in a dim sky.
The story is rhyming. But it isn't a forced rhyme; instead it moves freely and has a delightful sing-song quality. Likewise, the language is age-appropriate and charming. The story itself is sweet (in the best sense of the word). Bear's winter-friends try to insure that he will stay awake to see Christmas Day. It's a wonderfully simple story ... dare I say, it is heart-warming.
The illustrations are flawless. They are playful (almost whimsical) without being caricatures. The woodland creatures are soft ... their eyes are expressive. I repeatedly returned to one illustration (the badger holding Bear's diminutive blanket and waving) simply because it was so exquisitely rendered (and, it just plain made me happy). It is not an overstatement to call the illustrations joyful.
Bear Stays Up For Christmas is one of the best holiday-themed books I have seen in ages. It promises to delight children again and again.