This title...captures universal experience with humor, warmth, and authenticity..and the simple, repetitive text winds down at just the right pace for a sleepy audience.
—Booklist
The palette of colors is a strong part of the reassuring feeling here...Mother Bear and Sam play out the conventional dance of ritualized bedtime ballets, and her patient largeness as she bends to deliver yet another kiss is a dream of parental love.
—Chicago Tribune
With understated repetition and lyricism, Hest establishes the coziness of the nighttime interplay as well as the menacing sounds of the storm from inside Sam's bedroom...The hulking Mrs. Bear is a literal bulwark of maternal devotion, while Sam's roly-poly poses comically communicate his coy devotion.
—Publishers Weekly
This is an enchanting little story, with homey illustrations that add to its appeal. It will be particularly reassuring to read aloud on those dark and stormy nights.
—School Library Journal, starred review