Teddy Bear Tears

From School Library Journal PreSchool-Grade 1. A small boy snuggles into bed with his four stuffed toys and finds he must soothe their childlike night fears. The language is realistic and, like the book, reassuring. Willie Bear, who hears a scary noise, learns from the boy that "sometimes there's a cat out poking around, or maybe a moth bumping against the screen. They make noises, too, but there's nothing out there that would hurt a little bear." Each of the four teddies has a different worry; as soon as one is settled and all is quiet, the "little sniffles" come again. Satisfying, repetitive, and with little drama, this bedtime companion is illustrated with colored pencils in a full-color palette tinted with nighttime hues. Shifts in perspective prevent the predictable story from becoming dull. The pictures reveal the details of a cozy middle-class home and are reminiscent of Jane Hissey's work in the "Little Bear" books (Putnam). The tears here will be only a memory by story's end. Satisfying for reading aloud or independently.?Carolyn Noah, Central Mass. Regional Library System, Worcester, Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. From