Can't You Sleep, Little Bear? (by Martin Waddell)

As reassuring as a goodnight hug, this sweet tale of a little one's fear of the dark will ring familiar to young listeners and to their parents. Big Bear epitomizes parental devotion, as he goes to any extent to comfort his little charge. This is a good bedtime book, lulling in its repetition, and the children love saying Little Bear's repeated "I'm afraid!" each time the reader asks the title question.

The pencil and watercolor illustrations, surrounded by an arch-shaped border, echo the shape of the bears' cave. They are soft in tone and capture the bears' expressions. "That's just what I do!" one 4-year-old girl said as she studied the illustrations of Little Bear attempting to fall asleep. When the story was over, she turned to her mother and asked, "Will you read this to me before bed?"