Dyer (I Love You Like Crazy Cakes), in her authorial debut, explores a time-honored childhood fixture—resistance to bedtime—via a cub facing a long winter. When hibernation time arrives, Little Brown Bear isn't interested. "I won't take a nap!" he says. When he spies a migrating flock, he asks his parents, "Do geese have to sleep all winter?" They tell their son that geese fly south instead. So, after they tuck him in and retreat to their own bed, the intrepid youngster packs a suitcase and sets off in search of the geese, who turn up, surprisingly, at a train station. "Why aren't you flying?" Little Brown Bear asks. "Some of us prefer the train," they tell him. "It's more relaxing, and we enjoy the ride." Dyer whisks readers back to a bygone era of trains outfitted with luxurious velvety seats and windows with wooden frames; she depicts the hero seated in a dining car with several feathered friends, surrounded by linen tablecloths and napkins. Once they reach their destination, the cub follows them to the beach. He loves the sand and surf, but eventually nature takes over ("He built a sand cave. It was cozy and warm inside...") and his friends, who are migrating north for the spring, help him home. Dyer's tale unfolds at the leisurely pace of a child's unmeasured days, and her watercolors brim with warmth and affection. Even as Little Brown Bear ventures far from home, he always appears to be in safe hands. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)
