I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Bears Big Dreaming is a cosy children's picture book about Little Bear, whose father is preparing him for 'the big dreaming' of which this is Little Bears first one. I loved the phrase 'the big dreaming' for describing hibernation. Little Bear is worried that he will run out of dreams, so he sets off to ask his forest friends to hear about their dreams. He learns of happiness, safety, and hope, and these three things help him when he struggles to find his way home again. This is such a lovely story for any bedtime with warm and cosy illustrations.

When I saw this book on NetGalley I immediately had to request it. My children adore Michael Rosen books. My 3 year old is obsessed with We’re going on a bear hunt. Plus when I was a child “Burping Bertha” was one of my favourite books.
And I wasn’t wrong. This book has beautiful illustrations. We loved the story, it was great for both my 5 and 3 year old. The repetition of the style of writing on each page kept my 3 year olds attention and my 5 year old was able to talk to me about hibernating.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for my ARC via kindle. I don’t often have children’s books as kindle books and I have to say the illustrations were so clear and crisp I wouldn’t know the difference though. Love the fact I can get my phone out and read my children a story quickly.

This book is stunning. The repeated four lined phrase/poem is easy to remember and children will love to join in, making the book an interactive experience. I can instantly see why this adorable picture book has been described as an ‘instant classic’. I must say I whole-heartedly agree.

It portrays a young bear cub who has his own worries about the forthcoming hibernation and perseveres to find a solution to his problem. Little Bear visits some of the other woodland creatures to find a dream that will last the whole of ‘the big sleep’. Each of the dreams have an uplifting conclusion and important message to convey. In this way The Big Dreaming is indeed ‘a story of hope and perseverance’.

Daniel Egnéus uses beautiful autumnal colours, which subtly change into winter setting the scene for the bears’ big winter sleep and they delicately change again when the bears awaken in the spring. The exquisite illustrations successfully reveals how we measure our lives in seasons and associate them with colours and feelings.

This is most definitely an enchanting picture book children will want to hear read again and again. It leaves the reader with a feeling of calm. It would make a great Christmas present for any young child.

With this book, Michael Rosen very ably demonstrates why he was chosen to be Children's Laureate. This beautiful story is perfectly complemented by the accompanying art, created by Daniel Egneus.

Big bear and Little Bear are preparing for the Big Dreaming that lies ahead over the long winter. But Little Bear is also worried at the prospect of running out of Dreams - what if they don't have enough to get them through this long period of hibernation?

So he decides to go off and collect some more dreams if possible, just to be on the safe side. In his encounters with the other animals whom he requests for help Little Bear is lucky. Squirrel provides the idea of happiness in the moment, with his dream of playing all through the summer days. Rabbit shares the dream of how a skylark help him to return home safely. And finally, Wolf describe how he overcame his youthful fear of the darkness and learned how to hold the hope that all darkness will pass.

The story is not just about the adventures of Little Bear in his quest for dreams, it is also about the life lessons that children will learn in the course of reading this book. And thanks to the exquisite rhyming and art, not only will learning be painless, it will also linger on long after the book has initially read. This is likely to be a favourite for little ones.

Thank you so much to Bloomsbury Children’s books and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.

Little bear is scared he will run of of dreams for when he has the big dreaming until spring, so goes on an adventure meeting new friends and finding stories to dream about.

This was the most precious story, I loved that it repeated itself each time little bear went to another new friend. Little bear didn’t want to be dreaming of nothing until spring so went to seek out these wonderful stories these stories taught little bear some wonderful things and helped him get home safe.

I really loved the illustrations they were really beautiful and I adored how the stories of his friends were captured within the illustrations, it was stunning to look at, especially the wolfs story, I also loved the way the words were presented on each pages to be integrated within the scene so were often wavy, such a clever touch.

This is a wonderful bedtime story for your young ones, the book is absolutely wonderful full with the sweetest story and kind characters that each have something to share. It teaches of animal hibernation, but also gets you ready for the big sleep yourself. It’s so sweet.

This is such a lovely story that made me smile. Full of animals this is a great read for anyone who is an animal lover and it has a really enjoyable flow of writing and colourful illustrations too.

Michael Rosen is our class author and this is another adorable title that will be added to our shelves.
Little Bear is on the verge of hibernating for the winter and Big Bear tells him all about The Big Dreaming. Little Bear goes on a journey of discovery hoping to capture enough dreams to last him through the big sleep.
It's a detailed book, filled with hope and happiness, and the accompanying illustrations by Daniel Egneus are beautifully drawn.
Another Michael Rosen Classic.

The illustrations in this book are beautiful, rich and colourful pieces of art! The story is one of hope and overcoming worries. Michael Rosen tells the story simply but with a rhythm and repetition that will grip an audience and bring them back to this classic again and again. A book to enjoy one to one at bedtime or to use with children to explore the emotions and messages of asking for help when you are worried.

This was very cute! My kids really loved the stories each animal told and I really enjoyed the natural colour palette. We have read it a few times and they love saying what animal is coming next. Would recommand!

You can never go wrong with a Michael Rosen story especially one that is about bears. The Dreaming is perfect for autumn and bedtime cuddles.
On the surface, it is about a little bear who is nervous about hibernating for winter, but actually it is so much more than that. Little Bear is worried about running out of dreams and all that would be left would be the Big Nothing. This touches on children's fears of going to sleep and wondering what it will be like, what will it feel like and will they be afraid of the Big Nothing. Little Bear goes into the forest and begins asking the other animals to give him their spare dreams so that he and Big Bear will not run out during hibernation.
First he meets Squirrel who dreams of playing all summer long of the Happiness Right Now.
Then he meets Rabbit who had a dream that he was lost and didn't know what to do but a skylark showed him the path home. This was the dream of Coming Home Safe.
Finally, he meets Wolf who tells him that as a cub he used to be frightened of the dark, but then he would look at the moon and had a dream of Always Having Hope.
Little Bear takes please dreams home with him and in the end Big Bear and little Bear dream deep deep, deep all the way to spring.
The lyrics in this story is so beautiful and poignant: "the light went out like a candle blown out the wind". There is a touch of sadness, highlighting by the coming of autumn and hibernation, but ultimately mixed with kindness and hope for the future when the sun will be warm again.
The three dreams will stay with me for a long time: Happiness Right Now, Coming Home Safe, and Always Having Hope.
The illustrations by Daniel Egneus are visually stunning and match the text perfectly. They give a warmth and cosiness to the story. I can't stop looking at them. They bring autumn and winter to life.
Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury for letting me read this!

A wonderful story of a little bear collecting dreams in preparation for hibernation.

With absolutely stunning illustrations throughout, the little bear visits some woodland friends and asks to borrow their dreams, so he doesn't run out during hibernation.

This is the perfect autumnal bedtime story for nature loving children.

Thank you to NetGalley & Bloomsbury Children's for the DRC

This book, this story, the illustrations, no not illustrations, illustrations is not a good enough word for the beauty of the pictures in this book, they can only be described as art. I requested this in order to read with my nieces. I thought it looked such a wonderful story and I wasn’t wrong however, before even reading it with them I was obsessed myself and I’ve found myself on Waterstones ordering a copy for myself. I really should order a second set that the girls can have one, and I can have one for my shelves because it’s just too gorgeous. I want to spend hours just looking at a physical copy and each page which is a pure delight to look at as well as to read. Michael Rosen is such a talented poet and author,, but I think this is perfection, he’s worked with many wonderful illustrators before , but there’s something about the artwork in this book, that just click with me, and I think in Daniel Egneus, this might just be the perfect combination for me. I can only wholeheartedly recommend this beautiful story. I think like me most people want to copies, one for themselves, and one for the children in their lives. She is perfection.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.