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PICTURE BOOKS
Gehrlein, Brian

This Is Not a Sleepy Bear Book

40 pp. | Little | November, 2025 | Trade ISBN 9780316567596 $18.99
(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jennifer Harney. On the eve of hibernation season, a well-meaning, if overbearing, owl attempts to coax Bear to sleep with a bedtime story. As with many a meta picture book, the action veers off from the expected: while Owl reads the calming words (“He yawned a big bear yawn. And opened his very quiet den”), the art shows what’s really going on: a band rocking out in Bear’s living room. Cartoon illustrations (done in “blood, sweat, tears, and Photoshop”) shift between peaceful wintry scenes and the rollicking inside of Bear’s domicile, complete with disco ball and party hats.
Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

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