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Shh! Bears Sleeping
A delightful story of a bear family enjoying Spring.
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 5, 2016
About the author
David Martin
46 books17 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Readers of David Martin's books won't be surprised when they meet the author and find that he is just as entertaining as his books - he sings, plays the guitar or the kazoo, or even juggles during his school visits. As David Martin says, "I have never minded particularly making a fool of myself," so he is never at a loss to illustrate his points or to make a connection with the kids. In his interactive sessions, he also works with students to create their own books or to produce oversized class books. The author's ease in the classroom comes from his hands-on teaching experience: he's an eighteen-year veteran of elementary and middle schools.
A native of Queens, Martin has lived in northeast Vermont with his family since 1970.
Readers of David Martin's books won't be surprised when they meet the author and find that he is just as entertaining as his books - he sings, plays the guitar or the kazoo, or even juggles during his school visits. As David Martin says, "I have never minded particularly making a fool of myself," so he is never at a loss to illustrate his points or to make a connection with the kids. In his interactive sessions, he also works with students to create their own books or to produce oversized class books. The author's ease in the classroom comes from his hands-on teaching experience: he's an eighteen-year veteran of elementary and middle schools.
A native of Queens, Martin has lived in northeast Vermont with his family since 1970.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
February 22, 2026
The art in this book is absolutely stunning!
January 17, 2016
Don't let the title fool you on this one. This picture book is not a "bedtime" story. It is not meant to lull children into sleep. In fact, it is actually about bears and hibernation!
It teaches kids about bears and their need to hibernate during the Winter months in a fun and enjoyable way. The story reads really well and flows very nicely.
It sadly doesn't cover much else about bears except for hibernation, but if you have a fan of bears in your life they will definitely love this one. The illustrations are beautiful. They aren't cartoony, they are done in more a photograph/painting type fashion - the same way as you see the cover illustration done.
What I really like about it though, is at the very end there is a bit more about bears. It has a lot more facts than just that bears like to hibernate. It is just that this bit isn't part of the story, it is more like an extra. So if your little ones interest in bears is peaked by this story, you don't have to run and do a Google search. Instead you can read a bit more about them from the very same book!
This review is based on a copy provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Find more of my reviews here:
http://readingwithcupcakes.blogspot.com/
It teaches kids about bears and their need to hibernate during the Winter months in a fun and enjoyable way. The story reads really well and flows very nicely.
It sadly doesn't cover much else about bears except for hibernation, but if you have a fan of bears in your life they will definitely love this one. The illustrations are beautiful. They aren't cartoony, they are done in more a photograph/painting type fashion - the same way as you see the cover illustration done.
What I really like about it though, is at the very end there is a bit more about bears. It has a lot more facts than just that bears like to hibernate. It is just that this bit isn't part of the story, it is more like an extra. So if your little ones interest in bears is peaked by this story, you don't have to run and do a Google search. Instead you can read a bit more about them from the very same book!
This review is based on a copy provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Find more of my reviews here:
http://readingwithcupcakes.blogspot.com/
January 7, 2016
Nana’s Thoughts
What an absolutely wonderful book!
The first thing I noticed and all readers will notice is the spectacular oil paintings that illustrate this book. They and the prose take us through an entire year of bears. The rhythmic writing is fun to read with children of any age. Most of the words are ones children learn early so it is great when they can pick out the words they know. The paintings are so well done you almost expect to touch the page and feel the bear’s fur.
In addition to the story, there are 2 pages of Bear Facts. Again written in easy to read and understand language for children. It is like a 2nd story. A few of the words like “lethargy” and “omnivores” will need a little explanation but this makes for some great learning moments.
A spectacular book to be read aloud to children. A great bedtime story or an anytime story. These bears are so cute. I am sure this will be a book that will be reread many times. My grandchildren love it.
What an absolutely wonderful book!
The first thing I noticed and all readers will notice is the spectacular oil paintings that illustrate this book. They and the prose take us through an entire year of bears. The rhythmic writing is fun to read with children of any age. Most of the words are ones children learn early so it is great when they can pick out the words they know. The paintings are so well done you almost expect to touch the page and feel the bear’s fur.
In addition to the story, there are 2 pages of Bear Facts. Again written in easy to read and understand language for children. It is like a 2nd story. A few of the words like “lethargy” and “omnivores” will need a little explanation but this makes for some great learning moments.
A spectacular book to be read aloud to children. A great bedtime story or an anytime story. These bears are so cute. I am sure this will be a book that will be reread many times. My grandchildren love it.
January 27, 2016
This can be a good introduction to a year round look at bear habits. Told in rhyme, a bear wakes up from the long winter's sleep (about a hundred days), and begins the springtime fun, all with her two cubs (who stay for two winters). I enjoyed the rhyming which will call out for questions as the book is read aloud, for young children. "Skinny bears/With winter hungaries/Gooble food/to fill up tummies." The wonderful paintings show the bears and other animals in the forest all through the year. There is some extra information at the back in an author's note.
February 14, 2016
While Shh! Bears Sleeping has a calming cadence and soothing color palette that make may make it a great pick for bedtime, I wouldn't classify it as a bedtime book. Instead, this story offers a revealing look American black bears and their lives in relation to the seasons. The book ends with an informative note from the author, in which he further delves into the eating habits and sleeping patterns of bears.
May 12, 2016
Brilliant!
June 8, 2026
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Gift from Harper's grandmother
Cute bedtime story
2023
2021
2021
2021
Gift from Harper's grandmother
Cute bedtime story
August 11, 2023
A story that briefly follows the life cycle of a mother bear and her two cubs when Spring arrives to the forest on the tail feathers of a bluebird. From there the reader is taken on a journey in which they watch those same cubs grow, learn from their mother and then fall back asleep once winter returns to the land.
The book is a big book but the writing is so beautiful. The text is easy-to-read and follow along while included in a poem format that although it doesn't quite rhyme so much has nice rhythm that helps the reader to get from the front cover to the back. And as a result of that I do think this would make for a nice literacy reading book for children who enjoy wild animals, especially bears.
Here the readers will find the illustrations are gorgeous, beautiful and fully detailed while capturing more than just the bears i the forest. Readers will love to look for the various other animal denizens and see what mishaps those mischievous cubs are now up to.
Shh! Bears Sleeping ends with a spread that provides the reader with more information about bears in general and black bears, especially for those who may want to learn more. Furthermore there are reading tips, suggestions and activities provide on the jacket flaps of this book to help enhance the reading experiences for this book if adults would like to share the book with their own little ones.
I would most definitely recommend this book for science and/or seasonal libraries since I think that children will be charmed by the subject of this book.
The book is a big book but the writing is so beautiful. The text is easy-to-read and follow along while included in a poem format that although it doesn't quite rhyme so much has nice rhythm that helps the reader to get from the front cover to the back. And as a result of that I do think this would make for a nice literacy reading book for children who enjoy wild animals, especially bears.
Here the readers will find the illustrations are gorgeous, beautiful and fully detailed while capturing more than just the bears i the forest. Readers will love to look for the various other animal denizens and see what mishaps those mischievous cubs are now up to.
Shh! Bears Sleeping ends with a spread that provides the reader with more information about bears in general and black bears, especially for those who may want to learn more. Furthermore there are reading tips, suggestions and activities provide on the jacket flaps of this book to help enhance the reading experiences for this book if adults would like to share the book with their own little ones.
I would most definitely recommend this book for science and/or seasonal libraries since I think that children will be charmed by the subject of this book.
May 20, 2023
Here's a beautifully illustrated, child-friendly lesson in how bears live.
Seasons help provide structure to the narrative.
While rhymes give a shape and beauty to the unfolding tale.
ALSO I APPRECIATE WHAT IS NOT IN THIS BOOK
No anthropomorphism.
No projecting human child feelings into the life of a bear.
I wish all picture book authors would follow your example, David Martin.
FIVE STARS for teaching about natural history, unmarred by sentimentality.
Seasons help provide structure to the narrative.
While rhymes give a shape and beauty to the unfolding tale.
ALSO I APPRECIATE WHAT IS NOT IN THIS BOOK
No anthropomorphism.
No projecting human child feelings into the life of a bear.
I wish all picture book authors would follow your example, David Martin.
FIVE STARS for teaching about natural history, unmarred by sentimentality.
July 11, 2023
A decent picture book about bears, bear cubs, and preparing for hibernation. The two factual pages at the end are good, ending with a warning to stay away from cubs as Mother Bear is surely nearby. The illustrations are the real star here.
April 5, 2018
I liked reading this book. It goes through all the stages of the seasons, along with relating it to animals ugh as a bear. This could be used as a read aloud in a classroom. It talks about the colors through the leaves, relating it to the fall. It also goes through the bears and teaches students why they would be sleeping in the through the winter.
November 22, 2019
Beautiful illustrations, but the rhythm wasn't great and there were problems with the rhyme in places. Besides the pictures, the best part of this book was the last page of "bear facts". Even I learned something, thus the 3 stars, but I don't think I would recommend anyone spend much to buy this one. Great for free, though!!
February 6, 2022
A mother bear and her cubs wake up in the spring and then hibernate again in the fall.
This picture book introduces young readers to the concept of hibernation as well as common woodland animals in the North American temperate zone.
Disclosure: Dolly Parton was kind enough to send our family this book through her Imagination Library Foundation.
This picture book introduces young readers to the concept of hibernation as well as common woodland animals in the North American temperate zone.
Disclosure: Dolly Parton was kind enough to send our family this book through her Imagination Library Foundation.
March 30, 2018
I love this book!!! I grabbed it because I have a thing for bears and after reading the story I fell in love with it even more. It’s a good informational book for children that talks about what animals do for hibernation and how they survive.
March 21, 2020
"Skinny bears/With winter hungries/Gobble food/To fill up tummies/Berries, honey/Maybe bees/Bugs and grubs/In rotten trees." From one winter to the next, this gentle book follows a bear family as they wake and prepare to hibernate again.
An Imagination Library book for 2-year-olds.
An Imagination Library book for 2-year-olds.
November 4, 2022
Shh! Bears Sleeping
by David Martin
a story of the seasons for the kids, that not only shows what to expect from the seasons, but what bears expect. They love the rhyming and lyrical nature of the text as they went through the seasons with the bears from early spring to the next spring.
November 28, 2022
This book has a nice poetic flow to it. Nonetheless, very informative. My two year old appeared to enjoy it.
I like how the last pages gives you a profound look into the nature of the bears and their habitat! I had some misconceptions of bears myself as an adult!
I like how the last pages gives you a profound look into the nature of the bears and their habitat! I had some misconceptions of bears myself as an adult!
January 7, 2018
The book is about more than hibernation--it tells about the life of bears through the year. The text is spare and rhyming. Beautifully illustrated. Endnotes provide extra information about bears.
December 1, 2017
Quiet, beautiful, and poetic. A must-have for your hibernation text set.
March 27, 2018
This is a great story about bears. I love the illustrations in this book. A good read for kids.
March 13, 2019
Follows bears through one year cycle from spring to spring again. Rhyming text. Soft dreamy illustrations.
August 17, 2020
AR 2.3
January 11, 2021
This would make a great bedtime book for preschoolers who love bears. But it's too slow and realistic for a story time.
February 16, 2021
This book was a huge hit with my toddler, so much so that I'm pretty sad about returning it to the library. "BEARS!"
April 4, 2021
Good book and pictures
April 18, 2022
This is a cute winter book. There’s rhyming, and it very simply explains hibernation. This book had some cute illustrations. My daughter wasn’t really captivated by this one, though.
April 26, 2022
My granddaughter sat still and listened to the whole book. Now she keeps telling me, "Shh," her stuffies are sleeping.
November 10, 2022
Great pictures for the little ones!
Talks about bears in hibernation, habitat
Talks about bears in hibernation, habitat
April 29, 2023
The illustrations in this book are stunning! When reading you feel transported to where the narrator has dropped you.
September 2, 2025
Taught me something new about bears! They don’t experience true hibernation! Also: lovely illustrations, fun to read aloud.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews