The Very Long Sleep

Chipmunk, Marmot, Fox, and Bear have a great time playing all summer. They have so much fun they decide to build a house and live together. They know they will never be lonely. They build a place tall enough and wide enough and cozy enough to live through the winter. Once they move in and winter arrives, Fox discovers that Chipmunk, Marmot, and Bear all sleep through the winter. Fox tries to wake them, but to no avail. Then packages begin to arrive — one each for Chipmunk, Marmot, and Bear. Fox tries to keep himself entertained and ignore the packages brought by the carrier pigeon, but he just has to peek. What a surprise!

Author and illustrator Polly Noakes has written a cute story about friendship between those with very different personalities and the importance of communicating one’s needs. As with many picture books, the real strength is the illustrations. The animal characters are simply enchanting, and the illustrations complete the story in a beautiful way. The sweet details will keep little ones’ eyes on the pages.