Snug in his cave, not even some visitors seeking shelter from the storm can wake Bear. Mouse arrives and builds a small fire to warm the chilly air. Hare arrives and they pop corn and brew tea, but even the slurping and burping doesn’t bother Bear. Even when Badger passes out crunchy honey nuts and more guests begin arriving, “Bear snores on.” By the time Gopher, Mole, Wren, and Raven arrive, it’s a full-blown party. “And they nibble and they munch with a chew–chomp–crunch! But the bear snores on.” Nothing seems to bother Bear, at least until an errant pepper flake from the stew tickles his nose. Sneezing awake, Bear is furious, but not because everyone is having a party in his cave, but because he has slept through it all. The other animals comfort Bear by insisting that the party is just beginning. Stories and food carry the party until dawn and as all the other animals snuggle in to sleep, only Bear is left awake unable to recapture his slumber. An icy blue palette illustrates the cold winter night, while the cave’s interior is rendered in warm tones of reds and browns. The delightful illustrations on over-sized pages depicting the animals’ party are the perfect accompaniment to the lyrical text. Little ones will snuggle into bed on a snowy night to hear this one. (Picture book. 3-6)
