Denise Daley (Children's Literature)
The Old Bear in this story is a warm and friendly-looking animal who has many simple dreams as he sleeps during the winter months. First, he dreams that he is a young cub frolicking in the splendor of the spring season. Next, he dreams of the summer months and envisions all things alive with fresh flowers and fruits. Then the old bear dreams of autumn, where everything is gloriously colored in rich shades of orange, yellow and brown. Finally, he dreams of a star-filled winter night. The old bear sleeps on and on, and when he awakes, it is to the true beauty of the spring season. Easy text and simple sentences are used in this beautiful and uniquely illustrated picture book by the award winning author and illustrator Kevin Henkes. This book is sure to be enjoyed by young children and will undoubtedly become another Kevin Henkes classic. 2008, Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins Publishers, $16.99. Ages 4 to 7.

CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices 2009)
By the time Old Bear fell asleep for the winter, it was snowing hard.” A subdued late-autumn palette shows Old Bear curled up snugly on the opening spread of this spare and lovely picture book. But soon Old Bear is dreaming of spring, and in his sleep he is a young bear again, frolicking in colorful flowers. Old Bear’s journey through the seasons and into his youth continues as he sleeps. When he finally awakens, it is to a world made new again by the real arrival of spring, and Old Bear is ready to enjoy it. Warm, inviting watercolor and ink illustrations convey a sense of quiet and of celebration in the beauty of nature in a gentle, wonderfully paced story that packs rich descriptions into a handful of carefully chosen words on each page. Highly Commended, 2009 Charlotte Zolotow Award CCBC Category: Picture Books for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers. 2008, Greenwillow / HarperCollins, 24 pages, $17.99. Ages 2-6.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, July 15, 2008 (Vol. 76, No. 14))
When Old Bear sleeps, he dreams of being a cub and of the changing seasons. When he wakens and steps out into the soft pastels of Henkes's spring, he does not feel the passage of time, and in expression and carriage he exudes youthfulness. Many careful choices are made in a book that only seems uncomplicated. As bears go, smiling Old Bear looks as friendly as the teddies children cherish. His benign but shaggy appearance will invite them to learn many concepts, in the gentlest and most implicit way: youth and age, hibernation and renewal, the passage of seasons. Watercolor-and-ink paintings are bright but delicately hued. Bear's bold outline changes with the palette of each season. His fanciful dreams, as well as the spring "reveal," are full bleed, double-page spreads while other illustrations are neatly framed, emphasizing the ursine bulk. Confident, harmonious and sweet. 2008, Greenwillow/HarperCollins, 32p, $17.99. Category: Picture book. Ages 2 to 6. © 2008 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Laura Van Cott (Kutztown University Book Review, Spring 2009)
Old Bear curls up for his winter sleep, and dreams of the seasons when he was a young cub. This book is beautifully written to describe each season; it appeals to all the senses, talking about taking a nap in a giant pink crocus for spring and the sky raining blueberries in the summer. The illustrations are playful and colorful, with lots of details. This would be a great book to use to teach the seasons, and to help readers develop an appreciation of the beauty of the natural world. Category: Picture book. 2008, Greenwillow Books, $17.99. Ages 5 to 9.

Jeannette Hulick (The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, November 2008 (Vol. 62, No. 3))
As Old Bear sleeps through his winter hibernation, he dreams fantastical dreams of each season until he finally awakens and happily heads out into the fresh springtime. This is more a minimalist ode to the four seasons than a plot-driven story, and little ones unfamiliar with the way hibernation works may find the bear’s dreaming vs. the actual events a little confusing. Still, the descriptions of Old Bear’s dreams are lyrical and inventive in ways that young children will likely enjoy (in his spring dream, “The flowers were as big as trees. He took a nap in a giant pink crocus”). Henkes’ thickly outlined watercolor-and-ink illustrations, most separated from the text by a box or heavy line of a dominant color in the scene, are striking against the cream paper of the book. The seasonal pictures convey their dream state by focusing on a limited color range (black is notably absent) and cramming in bucolic elements; the art shifts color palettes from sweet pastels (spring) to brighter greens and blues (summer) to oranges, yellows, and browns (fall) and finally to icy blues and whites with “stars of all colors” (winter). The overfilling of the spreads doesn’t always work to aesthetic advantage (the autumn image is a little visually searing), but the boldness and large size of the pictures and the brevity of the gentle text might make this a useful choice for a group readaloud session Review Code: Ad -- Additional book of acceptable quality for collections needing more material in the area. (c) Copyright 2006, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2008, Greenwillow, 24p., $18.89 and $17.99. Ages 3-5 yrs.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Spring 2009)
An old bear settles down to take his long winter nap. He imagines his cubhood through the seasons in four glorious, vividly colored spreads. Henkes keeps text and art timelessly simple. Likewise, everything about the book's design and construction, including the front and back jackets, covers, and endpapers, is also in sync with the story's soft, subtle nature and theme of change. Category: Preschool. 2008, Greenwillow, 24pp, 17.99, 18.89. Ages 2 to 5. Rating: 1: Outstanding, noteworthy in style, content, and/or illustration.

Marsha Harper (The Lorgnette - Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 21, No. 2))
In this very, very simple story, Old Bear goes to sleep as the winter snow is falling. He dreams of each of the seasons in turn--and in color. When his dream of winter returns, he wakes up and goes outside to a pleasant surprise: spring has come--and this time it isn’t just a dream! Henkes’s illustrations harmonize nicely with the text. OLD BEAR could be used to start a discussion of dreams or of hibernation or of the seasons. It would also make a good bedtime story. Henkes is an award-winning author with a Caldecott Medal for Kitten’s First Full Moon. Owen, one of his mouse books, was a Caldecott Honor Book. He also writes for older children and has a Newbery Honor Book in Olive’s Ocean. Fiction. Grades K-2. 2008, Greenwillow Books, Unpaged., $17.99. Ages 5 to 8.