The Bear With Sticky Paws Won't Go to Bed - Hardcover

Clara Vulliamy was born in London, the daughter of author and illustrator Shirley Hughes and her husband, John Vulliamy. She studied at Chelsea School of Art, The Ruskin and the Royal Academy. Clara started concentrating on writing and illustrating children's books when she had children of her own and has now written and illustrated many stories for children and babies. She lives in Twickenham, with her husband and their children Jack and Martha and three guinea pigs. Clara is available for interview and events.

PreSchool-Grade 1—This third "Bear with Sticky Paws" book lacks focus. Lily won't go to bed and insists that it's still time to play. It's only after a small white bear shows up at the door with a suitcase and flies her off to an island party with grass skirts and sticky treats that Lily is worn out enough to admit defeat to sleep. The dialogue is stilted, and with a counting section stuck in the middle of the narrative, it feels more like the confused imaginings of a dream rather than a cohesive story. Is it a counting book? A tale of two friends and a little girl's imagination? Is it a bedtime story? While a book could certainly be all three, these elements are not woven together effectively. The vibrant pastel drawings illustrate the child's imaginings of smiling animal friends and island parties. However, the text sounds like one that a parent concocts at bedtime off the cuff. Stick to Margaret Wise Brown's Goodnight Moon (HarperCollins, 1947), Mo Willems's Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late (Hyperion, 2006), and Anna Dewdney's Llama, Llama Red Pajama (Viking, 2005) for more engaging bedtime stories.—Sarah Townsend, Norfolk Public Library, VA
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