"Sleeping is such a waste of time!" grumbles Old Bear. "It takes up the whole winter."

So when the days grow short and snowflakes start to fall, Old Bear stifles the urge to snooze and turns up the radio instead. He makes spicy jam tarts. He watches videos. "I am not going to go to sleep," he says.

And neither, it turns out, is his next-door neighbour, Brown Bear. They stay up all winter, and when the summer comes the two friends set off on their most restful holiday ever. Zzzzzzzz.....

Reviews

Stay Awake Bear!

Gavin Bishop

"Nap-haters will agree with this book's stubborn hero, who argues, "Sleeping is such a waste of time! It takes up the whole winter." ...

In this book Bishop conveys a cozy mood with autumnal watercolor hues. Overlaid with dense ink crosshatching. A wood-burning stove warmth pervades his images of Old Bear's tree-trunk abode, which is decorated with rustic antiques and cushy armchairs. The narrative outwardly goes against the grain of sleepy-time picture books, for the happy characters see no error in their un-bearlike ways. On the other hand, the book lulls readers into relaxation with its closing image of the rebels on the beach, sacked out in deck chairs. Bishop and the bears find the best of both worlds."

American Publishers' Weekly, March 2000

"Bishop's lively story puts a new spin on hibernation...

Children will readily agree with the idea that sleeping is a waste of time when there are so many other things to do and the joke of sleeping through the vacation will not be lost on them. Bishop's cartoon-style watercolors with pen and ink convey the jovial characters, from their delight in winter camaraderie to their unconscious horseback trek across the plains. Librarians will welcome this silly spin on a popular topic, and youngsters will take to it like bears to honey."

Kathleen M. Kelly, American School Library Journal, March, 2000

"As winter approaches, Old Bear decides that it is a waste of time to sleep through the season and makes his own plans to stay awake..

With lively watercolored pen and ink illustrations, Old Bear and his friend present a winsome pair, whether awake or asleep. Keeping his young audience in mind, Gavin Bishop paints his scenes with enough detail and humor to keep readers entertained but not so much that they are distracted from the story's unusual premise."

Bonnie Fowler, American Children's Bookshelf, March 2000