by Jory John (Author) Benji Davies (Illustrator)
*An E. B. White Read-Aloud Honor Book*
A hilarious bedtime book from the award-winning creators of I Love You Already!, Come Home Already!, and All Right Already!
Bear is exhausted. All he wants is to go to sleep.
Duck is wide awake. All he wants is to hang out . . . with Bear.
Will Bear ever be able to catch some ZZZ's?
Jory John, author of Penguin Problems and The Bad Seed, and Benji Davies, creator of The Storm Whale and Tad, join together to create this standout hilarious picture book that's perfect for bedtime read-alouds.
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John (All My Friends Are Dead) and Davies (The Storm Whale) bring fresh humor to a familiar scenario, tracing the push and pull between a character desperate to get some shut-eye and one who is far from ready for bed. Here, the sleepy party is Bear, who has just tucked into bed (along with his tiny stuffed pink rabbit) when the doorbell rings. Barging in is his friend and neighbor, Duck, who's "never been so awake" and is determined to have fun with Bear--any kind of fun ("Make smoothies?" "No." Start a band?" "No"). Both the repartee and the sight gags display excellent timing, making the most of the classic comic tension between a hulking grouch and a diminutive pest. But this is also a physically lovely book: working in a distilled style reminiscent of classic UPA animation, Davies uses nocturnal blues, geometric patterning, and contrasting scale in a way that makes every page pop. The one thing readers will not say about this book is "Enough already!" Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. Illustrator's agency, the Bright Agency. (Dec.)
Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.PreS-Gr 1--In this familiar-sounding story, an exhausted animal tries to sleep as his overly friendly neighbor pays him repeated visits. Late one night, Duck is bored and decides Bear will entertain him, but grumpy Bear rejects his suggestions to watch movies and make smoothies, sending the bird home with a "Goodnight already." Duck turns up twice more to interrupt his neighbor's sleep and is dismissed by an increasingly irate Bear, who, in the end, is left wide awake, while Duck falls fast asleep next door. The premise of this story is not very original, and even the ending won't be a surprise. Bear comes across as a grouchy curmudgeon, while Duck is oblivious and annoying, and their dialogue is stilted. The illustrations, however, are charming, with solid color backgrounds highlighting moods, yellow for Duck and blue-gray for Bear, as well as the characters themselves, who stand out against the saturated backdrops. Little details add color to each page, from Bear's pink stuffed animal to Duck's red electric guitar. For libraries that have Bonny Becker's A Visitor for Bear (2012) and A Bedtime for Bear (2010, both Candlewick), this may not be a first purchase, but the fresh, funny art makes it a worthy consideration.--Marian McLeod, Convent of the Sacred Heart, Greenwich, CT
Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.Jory John is a #1 New York Times-bestselling author and a two-time E. B. White Read-Aloud Honor recipient. His work includes the New York Times-bestselling picture books The Bad Seed and The Good Egg; the award-winning Goodnight Already! series; and the popular picture books Something's Wrong!, Nothing's Wrong!, This Book Will Get You to Sleep!, and Giraffe Problems, among many other books. He lives in Oregon.
Olivier Tallec is a children's book author and illustrator and is a graduate of the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Appliqués in Paris. He has illustrated more than 200 books for children, including This Book Will Get You to Sleep!, Who Done It?, I Always Wanted One, and It's MY Tree. He lives in France.