From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2–It's the day before Christmas, and Bear's friends have gathered in his lair to wake him up to celebrate the holiday. They get a tree, pop corn and bake fruitcake, and hang stockings and hum songs. The others doze off, but Bear keeps busy wrapping presents, baking cookies, and decorating, unaware that a certain plump, red-suited gentleman is watching from outside the cave. The rhyming text sings, shouts, whispers, and crows, and the appealing acrylic illustrations are dear. This is an exuberant tale of friendship and perseverance, and holiday storytimes will be the brighter for it.–M. A. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
School Library Journal, starred review Kids will ask for this book again and again.

Review
School Library Journal, starred review Kids will ask for this book again and again.

Book Description
"The day before Christmas, snuggled on his floor, Bear sleeps soundly with a great big snore...." Bear's friends are determined to keep Bear awake for Christmas! So they wake Bear up and have him help them find a Christmas tree, bake cakes, hang up stockings, and sing Christmas songs. Bear stays up -- by discovering that giving is one of the best Christmas presents! How a SURPRISE visit from someone very special gives Bear and his friends a Christmas to remember makes an enchanting holiday story for young readers. With Karma Wilson's memorable text and Jane Chapman's glowing illustrations, Bear Stays Up for Christmas is a book to cherish throughout the year.

Card catalog description
Bear's friends awaken him the day before Christmas and help him to stay awake as they bake fruitcakes, fill stockings, and sing carols, then, while they sleep, he prepares his own surprise.

ANNOTATION

Bear's friends awaken him the day before Christmas and help him to stay awake as they bake fruitcakes, fill stockings, and sing carols; then, while they sleep, he prepares his own surprise.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Bear's friends are determined to keep him awake for Christmas! So they wake Bear up and he helps find a Christmas tree, bake cakes, hang up stockings, and sing Christmas songs. Bear stays up -- and discovers that giving is one of the best presents of all!

How a surprise visit from someone very special gives Bear and his friends a Christmas to remember makes an enchanting holiday story for young readers. With Karma Wilson's memorable text and Jane Chapman's glowing illustrations, Bear Stays Up for Christmas is a book to cherish.

FROM THE CRITICS

Sandra Dutton - The New York Times

Jane Chapman's illustrations show animals that are startlingly realistic. Bear has dark whiskers and long, curved claws that are always at rest in his huge, furry paws. Badger's face, with its masklike brown-and-white pattern, is beautifully delineated; and Raven, dark and brooding, has a thoughtful, engaged expression. Bear's pals Wren, Gopher, Mole and Hare also appear in all three books.

Publishers Weekly

Bear's thoughtful buddies rouse him from his deep hibernation nap just in time for Christmas Eve. With creative planning, the animals get their ursine friend into the holiday spirit-and the Yuletide preparations. And by the time Santa makes his appearance, guess who's tuckered out? (Not a certain Bear.) This duo's latest Bear book sustains the sweetness and humor of its predecessors (Bear Snores On; Bear Wants More) via rhyming, read-aloud-ready text and soft acrylic scenes of the cuddly creatures and wintry landscapes. Ages 3-7. (Oct.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature - Dr. Judy Rowen

Bear normally hibernates in the winter, so he misses Christmas. His forest friends want to share the holiday with him, so Mouse shouts in his ear to awaken him and the animals agree to keep Bear busy so he will stay awake. Bear carries the Christmas tree back to his lair and the other animals decorate it. The animals are anthropomorphic enough to stand on their hind legs to stir popcorn and string it for the tree, but their surroundings are the snowy forest. Most of the text rhymes, which even forces a grammatical error: "He plods very slow/as they trudge through the snow." Will Bear stay awake to greet Christmas? And what is the perfect gift for a sleepy Bear? Bear has appeared in at least two other books—Bear Snores On and Bear Wants More; children who loved the first two in the series will undoubtedly enjoy this addition. 2004, Margaret K. McElderry/Simon & Schuster, Ages 3 to 7.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2-It's the day before Christmas, and Bear's friends have gathered in his lair to wake him up to celebrate the holiday. They get a tree, pop corn and bake fruitcake, and hang stockings and hum songs. The others doze off, but Bear keeps busy wrapping presents, baking cookies, and decorating, unaware that a certain plump, red-suited gentleman is watching from outside the cave. The rhyming text sings, shouts, whispers, and crows, and the appealing acrylic illustrations are dear. This is an exuberant tale of friendship and perseverance, and holiday storytimes will be the brighter for it.-M. A. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews