Hush Up and Hibernate

by Sandra Markle, Howard McWilliam (Illustrator)

Leaves are falling, a cold wind is blowing, geese are heading south. Clearly, winter is coming. It’s time for black bears to do what they always do this time of year―hibernate. Kids will get a kick out of this romp of a tale about a black bear cub that finds every excuse imaginable to avoid the inevitable go-to-bed moment. Will Mama Bear finally win? Or will Baby Bear come up with the ultimate reason to skip going to sleep?

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Storytime, Childrens, Fiction, Humor, Parenting

36 pages, Hardcover

First published August 28, 2018

About the author

Sandra Markle is the author of more than two hundred children's books, which have won numerous awards, including Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book, IRA/CBC Children's Choice, NSTA/CBC Outstanding Trade Books for Children, NCTE Orbis Pictus Recommended, and ALA Notable Books for Children. She lives in Lakewood Ranch, Florida and frequently travels to schools sharing her program "Sandra Markle's Books Are REAL Adventures."

Reviews

[♥ℂĦℝΪՖƬΪℕÅ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I see winter coming,” she tells her cub. “It's time to hibernate.”


➽I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through Hidden Gems Books.

I read this cute little book to my 5-year-old niece who really reminds me of the little bear in this story, she always seems to get extra hyper right before bedtime and always wants a snack... or two... or three lol. This is a book both children and parents will enjoy, it's the perfect bedtime story. The illustrations are beautiful and colorful and very adorable. I do have to say though that our favorite part was whats at the back of the book, it's full of fun facts about hibernating bears, facts on other animals that hibernate too like a Yellow-Bellied Marmot, a Chipmunk, a Snapping Turtle, and a Garter Snake. It also has a little four-question quiz for the child to take to determine if they'd be able to hibernate themselves. Recommend :)

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boy, kids HATE to go to bed . . . even little bears who must sleep through the winter.

Mama patiently explains why this little cub needs his sleep, but he still puts off bedtime until his mom has finally had ENOUGH!

A fun story, with three pages of science facts about hibernation at the end. With lovely illustrations by Howard McWilliam.

[Gemma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the illustrations in this!

I think parents everywhere can retate to this little cub.

A really enjoyable book to share with little ones.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Arc of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

The leaves are falling from the trees and birds have begun flying south for the winter. It's that time of year when black bears hibernate. But this baby bear will think of every excuse imaginable to put off his hibernation. Like any young child dodging their bedtime, baby bear will go to any lengths to delay the inevitable.
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This is a really sweet story to read for bedtime. Great for daycare curriculum as well to teach about hibernation vs migration. There are a couple of educational pages added into the back of the book to teach fun facts about hibernation as a follow up to your reading and in case your child has any questions.

Relatable for any parent who has experienced the battle of trying to get your little one to go to bed but who is absolutely determined to try to hoodwink you and push back their bedtime for as long as they can. Coming up with wilder and wilder reasons as to why they couldn't possibly go to bed just yet.

This is book is fun and very cute. McWilliam's illustrations compliment the writing perfectly. Baby bear's facial expressions throughout the story really make the book.
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Many thanks to BookSirens and Sandra Markle for sharing an electronic copy of this book with me for reviewing purposes. This is my honest review.

[Sophie Narey (Bookreview- aholic) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a sweet funny book, the characters are easy to like, and I think a lot of parents will associate with the mother bear ! Beautifully written, easy to read, flows nicely. I would definitely recommend this to anyone with young children.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

[Shelle Perry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a mom confession… My child never sleeps. He never has. Oh, a few hours here and there, but honestly you could say that at 17, he still doesn't sleep through the night. Of course, as a teen, he is better at keeping himself occupied when he inevitably wakes up than he was at age 4. I have lived the eat, drink, uncomfortable bed, can't find the Lovey dance on many occasions. Still, this book had me laughing, because EVERY parent knows Mama Bear's pain.

Of course, this book isn't really about bedtime. It is about sneaking fun animal and nature facts into little brains. The book is choc full of them. Mama explains the reasons bears and other animals hibernate, and why some don't. In addition the gorgeous illustrations beautifully capture the turn of colorful autumn into the white of winter.

This book does double duty as a great bedtime story and of fun early reader for classtime about winter and hibernation. There is also a section in the back of the book offering facts about bear hibernation, animals who hibernate, and the characteristics of a bear den. This will be a book that preschoolers and lower elementary kids will love to read time and again.

[BreeAnn (She Just Loves Books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I Loved: The illustrations in this book were beautiful and thoughtful. The artwork felt so finished, you could be a part of the story and it was wonderful.

How I Felt: Oh I felt for this mama bear! She just wants to go to sleep for the winter, but Baby Bear is pulling out all the stops to stay up. The mama bear’s reactions are perfect and I felt myself connecting to her frustration and exhaustion. My favorite part was the last line in the story when she thinks she’s gotten him to sleep and he sits up and asks if it’s spring yet! Oh I giggled! After the story is finished, the author has added a section about bears and their hibernation routines, which my daughter and I found to be a wonderful addition to the book!

To Read or Not To Read: This is a great book for young preschoolers through early elementary school. The pictures are bright and help to tell the story and its just right for that age.

What’s This Book About Anyway?
It’s time to hibernate for the winter. Mama Bear is ready, but Baby Bear needs just one more snack. And then one more drink. And then so on and so forth. Mama Bear keeps her cool for a long time, but finally has to say “Enough”. This gets Baby Bear to realize it is time to sleep….but can he go to sleep?

I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book for free. I am providing my honest review freely.

All of my reviews can be found at: https://shejustlovesbooks.com/

[Erik This Kid Reviews Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a twist on the classic kid wont go to bed book. I have to admit, I first picked the book up because of the cover illustration. I mean, just look at baby bear's face as his mom is talking to him about how he has to go to sleep. It made me laugh just looking at it. All of McWilliam's interior illustrations are equally as enjoyable. Markle spins a story of a tired mom trying to get her little one to go to sleep. Baby finds every excuse not to - I have to say goodbye to the fish - I'm hungry - I'm thirsty - the bed is not comfortable. Parents and kids will both enjoy this book and I think it is a wonderful read aloud. What really put this one over the top for me are the end pages. There is information on animals that hibernate and also facts about bear dens. Markle also included suggested reading and websites on bears and hibernation. Please note I received a free review copy of this book

[Ricki · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I sit and write this post, it is 9:50pm, and my older child is upstairs not sleeping. The chance of him crafting an excuse to come out of his room within the next 10 minutes? High. So saying that I enjoyed this book is an understatement. I found great joy in reading this book to my son. We first read it a few weeks ago, and I've told him to hush up and hibernate a few dozen times. It's a clever book that parents will enjoy immensely. The illustrations are beautifully done. If you take a look at the cover image, you will see the baby bear's face. The way he's reacting to his mother is an all-too-familiar look that makes me chuckle. I absolutely adored this charming book. When my son chooses it for his bedtime book, I have a warm, happy feeling. This signifies that it is a good book and one to keep.

Full review: http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=1...

[Cynthia Gutzwiller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very funny and informative book. In the back there is some very informative pages about the hibernation of bears.
Mama bear told baby bear it was time to hibernate. Baby bear said he was hungry. They went and found chokecherries and ate them. She saw a flock of geese flying over, it's time. But Mama I'm thirsty. They went to the water. Why can't I stay awake? Why can't bears stay awake? What would happen? You get to listen/read to find out. Doesn't that sound like fun????? Give me a Y. Give me an E? Give me an S? What does it spell. YES!!!!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Besides having wonderful, colorful artwork, the book is one both children and their parents can both enjoy. It’s a cute story about a typical child stalling before bedtime, in this case a long winter nap. And along with a child’s natural curiosity, there are several educational snippets about other animals who hibernate besides instructions for kids who want to pretend to as well. This book has everything a parent could want in a book.
I received an advanced reader copy from Book Sirens in exchange for my volunteer review.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story about a little bear who just doesn't want to hibernate. Kids everywhere are fighting bedtime stalling for just one more snack or drink, and that's exactly what little bear is doing. A very relatable story for kids and moms alike. I also liked the facts about hibernation after the story ended. Lots of great facts and tidbits for a child to learn.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

I laughed so hard I almost cried!!!! this is the best book! I will recommend this to all our teachers who come to our library looking for hibernation books. I think we'll need more than one!

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book not only for the story but the non-fiction facts about animals that hibernate at the end of the book.

[Tessa Baer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is adorable and so real when it comes to getting children to go to bed!

[Deb Duhl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and educational for Autumn and Logan. The illustrations are cute and colorful

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect for preschoolers! I love reading this every fall. It’s so cute how the bear cub is just like a little kid on long car trips. I think preschoolers can relate to the cub.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5/5

This was a super cute book about a mother bear trying to get her cub to hibernate, if you have a child you can probably relate to this mother bear when it comes to getting your child to sleep.

First off I love the illustrations. This is one of my favorite styles and I feel like it works really well when it comes to the bears, they’re adorable. I love how you can clearly see the progression of the season and the illustrator does a great job of not just the animals but all the seasonal elements and they flow well from page to page. The illustrations complement the words on the pages, it all just goes very well together.

This is short and simple and while it is about hibernation, it doesn’t go into deep detail so it’s easy to understand for younger children. This could be easily used as a bedtime story or in a pre-k classroom.

If you were to use this in a younger classroom it could be used as an introduction to hibernation. One thing I really liked about this book was the last couple of pages. In the back, there are several pages about hibernation that can be used to extend knowledge. These include bear hibernation facts, examples of other hibernators, as well as a DIY of how to make a den like a bear.

Overall, I would recommend this to those have younger readers, those who want a low level book to introduce hibernation, as well as those who know a little one who won’t go to sleep when they should.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Gail Sacharski · Rating 4 out of 5]

In order to read the Hank Aaron book for my grandson's class, I had to go on a children's book site (Epic) to find it. It is free for reading one book a day, you pay if you want to read unlimited books & participate in their read along activities. I read the book I wanted, then became fascinated with that series & wanted to read more. As I browsed, I saw a bunch of books, some I've been wanting to read & others that looked interesting or fun. As a former pre-school teacher, I love children's literature of all kinds, & I didn't want to do the books one day at a time (not that patient), so I signed up for a year to try it & read unlimited books. If nothing else, it will help with my goal of reading a book a day this year.
This cute book is the first of what looks like it might be a series & is the story about a mother bear who senses winter's coming & it's time for her & her cub to hibernate. In typical time-for-bed kid fashion, he needs a snack first, then a drink, then the bed is too hard, etc. until she says "Enough!" & gets him off to sleep only to have him ask a short time later "Is it Spring yet?". You get the impression it's going to be a long winter. This would be a great story just on its own, but then there's more--pages of info about hibernation, what animals hibernate & how, & answers to pressing questions kids want to know like does a bear poop during hibernation? It also has a fun activity to make your own bear den under a table with blankets (yay-forts!). I really liked this book & I think my pre-schoolers would have loved it.

[K.L. Bernard · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a parent or caregiver, you know how tough it is to get the kids to bed and to sleep. This little book shares a laughable story of a little bear having a crisis about sleeping or hibernating.

This little fellow has every excuse in the world not to settle down and hibernate for the winter. At first Mama bear was patient. Baby bear was hungry and thirsty. He played and swam. He wondered why bears had to hibernate and fish, wolves and mountain lions didn’t. Mama explained how wolves and mountain lions hunt for food and would love to snack on a little bear. Finally, the snow began to fall, and it was time to sleep in their den. Again, baby bear had a reason not to sleep. His bed was too hard. Mama, by now, had lost patience and growled at him. They gathered more leaves and once again settled in. But baby bear still was not ready to hibernate. What do you think he did next?

This hilarious story is perfect for naptime or bedtime. Parents and caregivers will chuckle when reading this story to little ones. It’s also a perfect story for beginners too. Large size illustrations make this a story that is fun and can even be read by only observing the pictures.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baby Bear is NOT ready to hibernate even though Mama Bear knows it is time. He employs as many delaying tactics as possible despite Mama Bear patiently explaining why hibernating is important for bears. He's hungry, he's thirsty, he needs so goodbye to the moose and the fish, the bed is too hard! Finally Mama Bear puts her furry foot down.

The story is funny and entertaining while Markle manages to impart a lot of science information along the way. Howard McWilliam's illustrations are adorable and comedic with a wonderfully rich palette of colors for late fall scenes. This is intended for a very young audience and the result is perfectly pitched for the Pre-School through Kindergarten or 1st grade reader.

Back matter includes additional information and some fascinating facts about bears and hibernating as well as short profiles on other hibernating animals. There are also some suggested activities and suggested books. Read in galley. Perfect for classrooms, story times or lap book reading.

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book from Booksirens in exchange of an honest review.

It is that time of the year again for certain animals. It is getting colder and colder and it is time to hibernate. But as I have read in other books like this one, it isn’t always something everyone wants to do. And I don’t blame them. You lose a couple of months just sleeping. Though, OK, at the moment I would take that. Hopefully when I wake up the world is a brighter and safer place.

In this cute book we see a tiny baby bear who keeps making up excuses (I am hungry, I am x, I am y) every time his mom tells him they should hibernate. I had a laugh at that, the bear is just like human kids who don’t want to go to bed yet. Though in this one I could understand it a bit more. It is not just a night, it is a lot of nights.

I loved that mom was dead honest with her cub when he asked why they should hibernate and she really didn’t make it any nicer for the little one. She was going to hibernate (go mom) and if he didn’t want to, well so be it. I can imagine her frustration though, because DANG that little one is really persistent. I had a big laugh at the end of the book when it seemed to all go well and then BOOM. Good luck mom. 😛

The art is just so gorgeous, really, I was just amazed by the prettiness of it all. I could just seem myself walk around the beautiful forest, jump into the river. The illustrator has a beautiful style with many details and great colour choices.

I like the extra bit at the end about bears and hibernation and it also gives some information on other hibernators.

All in all this is a funny and gorgeously drawn book and I would recommend it to all. I had so much fun reading it.

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Baby Bear does NOT want to hibernate and keeps finding excuses for not doing so. His mother waits through all his requests until her patience is exhausted and she shoos her recalcitrant child into the den. But the ending is so typically childlike that I had to laugh out loud. What a perfect ending. In addition to the amusing back-and-forth between mother and child, the author also manages to slip in information about hibernation and the signs that the time is near. Additional information about bears and hibernation is included at the end of the book. The illustrations are beautifully done and showcase the strong emotions of both mother and child. The changes that come with the arrival of winter and the animals who have to adapt are also nicely highlighted. A fun read aloud for story time, bedtimes, or lessons on hibernation, a delight from beginning to end.

[Het boekenrijk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hush up and hibernate from Sandra Markle and with illustrations from Howard McWilliam is a pretty book about a little bear who doesn't want to hibernate.
He has so much more to do before he can go to sleep. Kids will easily relate to the story and the excuses baby bear makes. Mama bear has a tough job bringing baby bear into their den.
In addition to the story about going to bed, this book also gives a lot of info about hibernation. Partly through the story, but also in the second informative part of the book made in collaboration with the Yellowstone National Park.
This sweet book has a lovely story and on top of that the illustrations are marvellous. Kids will love the combination of the story and the facts about hibernation.
For kids 5 and over.

[Taunya Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hush Up and Hibernate was given to me by Hidden Gems Books in exchange for a fair and honest review.

In this adorable childrens book, baby bear is doing everything possible to keep from hibernating. He's hungry, he's thirsty, he needs to do any and everything except go to sleep.

I loved this book because, as a mother and now grandmother raising a grandchild, I know this routine. Children will come up with some outlandish excuses to keep from going to bed. My five year old grandson loved it and giggled throughout the book. He knows because he's given some of these same excuses. The illustrations were beautifully done and fit the story. I highly recommend this book for a fun bedtime read!

[Christina Janz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was drawn to this book by the cover. The illustrations are stunning with beautiful colours. For the most part I enjoyed the story itself except for one thing. As a writer it is drilled into me that the protagonist needs to come to the solution to his problem himself, although adults may help a little. Here the way that the momma bear gets cub to obey is with a big shout at him, and that's the only thing about this story that bothered me. I thought today's parents are trying to deal in better ways.

[Carrie Langendorff]

This is a cute picture book with wonderful illustrations. I loved how you could see the emotions on the faces of the mother bear and the baby bear. Also the fact sheet at the end of the book is a great resource if you Plan to use this book in a classroom setting or even at home to discuss with with your children.

*I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightful book. The story is fun and easy to follow. The illustrations are gorgeous and fit the story perfectly. I loved how there is a small section at the very end about real live bears as well so it makes the book educational also. This is a wonderful book from start to finish, a great way to spend some quality time reading with a small child. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Sara Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable read for children of many ages! A fun story about hibernation told in a fun way involving a mother and cub. The illustrations are fantastic, and the story is entertaining and factual. I loved the hibernation information included at the end... this will be appealing to older children who read the story as well! I received an advance copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Trisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the idea of the Mama bear getting her cub ready for hibernation. It's what parent(s) have to do on a daily basis until their children can get ready themselves. Parent(s) can also relate when their children don't want to go to sleep. The bear does roar at the cub to demand obedience. It doesn't really explain that she does this because winter is cold and predators are out there. However they are mentioned. It's just not connect to Mama's roar.