Parents will relate to the difficulties of coaxing a child to take a spoonful of medicine, while Anita Jeram—illustrator of GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU—provides beautifully reassuring art.
—Scholastic Parent & Child
This follow-up to the best-selling KISS GOODNIGHT (2001) will comfort little ones like a cozy blanket that's tucked in just right . . . A quiet, shining story of things made better.
—Booklist (starred review)
The bedtime comfort this book may bring to a 4-year-old is magical . . . this book could fit into the same treasure chest that keeps, forever, a book like Clement Hurd and Margaret Wise Brown's GOODNIGHT, MOON.
—Boston Globe
Just the thing to share with a little one struggling with a bout of the sniffles.
—Kirkus Reviews
The Barnes & Noble Review
The bestselling team behind Kiss Good Night offers another heartfelt story featuring Mrs. Bear and Sam. This time, though, the little bear is feeling a bit under the weather.
After Mrs. Bear tucks Sam in for the night, she worriedly sees him "curled up and small and coughing in his bed." Mother goes downstairs to fetch some cough syrup, but when she tries giving it to him, Sam puts "the blanket on his head" and blurts, "I don't have a cough! Hck, hck!" Sam comes up with an excuse for not taking his medicine -- there's "too much syrup on a too-big spoon" -- but when Mrs. Bear promises to take him downstairs to wait for snow, the small bruin courageously opens up and spends some quiet time with her, drinking tea with honey and hearing a story until it begins to snow.
For any little bear who needs some TLC, Don't You Feel Well, Sam? is a quiet, cozy story that gives an extra dose of love. Papas and mamas will enjoy sharing this comforting charmer with their little ones, and young readers will pore over Jeram's deep-colored illustrations, which capture the warm glow inside the house, in contrast to the wintry nighttime outside. A gentle book with the right tonic for soothing and reassuring. Matt Warner
In this followup to the team's Kiss Good Night, bear cub Sam comes down with a cough "Hck, hck!" he hacks and is doted upon by his unflappable mother. If Sam can steel himself to take his cough medicine ("Tastes bad," he says, before his mother even pours out the syrup. "I don't have a cough"), then Mrs. Bear will reward his bravery by letting him stay up to watch the snowfall. "Sam leaned back on his mama's soft belly, and it wriggled while she talked," writes Hest after the deed is done. "The little fire glowed and the kitchen was warm." Jeram nestles tiny Sam into Mrs. Bear's voluminous girth (sweetly playing up the contrast in their sizes, as she did so effectively in the first book), while the thickly textured ocher walls of their snug home seem to stand guard against the frigid night. As in the earlier title, Hest's soothingly rhythmic and repetitive prose, Jeram's burnished-hued acrylics, and the unwavering affection between Sam and his mother conjure up the essence of familial warmth. Being sick may have its downside, but the author and illustrator emphasize the extra coddling and indulgences that come with feeling under the weather. Ages 2-6. (Sept.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
PreS-Gr 2-When putting Sam to bed, Mrs. Bear hears him cough. She tries to give him medicine but he doesn't like the taste and there is too much of it. With the promise of waiting together for the snow to come, the cub finally takes the cough syrup. Mother and child go downstairs, have some tea, and cuddle up in a soft, cozy chair, where Mrs. Bear tells a story about a bear named Sam. As they sleep, the snow begins to fall, and the last page shows them building a snowbear. Jeram's soft, saturated acrylic illustrations extend Hest's quiet, gentle text. The bears are the focal point on every spread, and their household has lots of warm, subtle touches and curving lines that give the book a comfortable look. Two mice appear throughout; they, too, are part of this loving environment. A feel-good story to curl up with on a cold winter night.-Kathleen Simonetta, Indian Trails Public Library District, Wheeling, IL Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
