Sweater Weather

Product Description

What a perfect autumn day! Papa Bear tells his cubs to bundle up in the cozy sweaters he knitted for them—but that is easier said than done. Award-winning author-artist Matt Phelan has created a hilarious and warmhearted ode to fall, patience, and knitting. Sweater Weather will be adored by fans of Anna Dewdney and Tad Hills.
Sweaters on? Not yet!
The air is crisp, and the leaves are bright—it’s the perfect autumn day to enjoy the outdoors. Papa Bear instructs his cubs to put on their sweaters, and patiently waits downstairs. When he checks on them, he learns that getting ready is no simple task. But even if this lovable bear family misses out on their planned outing, the evening sky still holds a beautiful surprise.
Acclaimed author-artist Matt Phelan’s rhythmic, repetitive text and his warm, expressive watercolor paintings are both humorous and rewarding. Brimming with laughter and love from this large bear family, Sweater Weather is an irresistible choice to curl up with during storytime, no matter what the weather is. 

From School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2-In a pink bathrobe and with a cup of coffee in hand, a big bear peaks out of the window at the lovely red and orange fall foliage. It’s time for the seven little bears to get their sweaters on! For these independent cubs (and one especially adorable baby bear), getting dressed is trickier than it seems. One little bear can’t find the head hole, two are stuck in a single sweater, sweater arms are all tangled up, and one little bear’s unraveling green sweater leaves a string of yarn dancing around the pages. With the big bear’s help, all the cubs are finally wrangled and ready to venture out into the crispy air to enjoy the gathering dusk, and even a far-off shooting star. After all that preparation, it’s time to go back inside and get the sweaters off for bedtime. While it might seem like a lot of effort for little payoff, at closer inspection this is a lovely story of one of life’s magical moments, when a family takes time to appreciate nature and each other’s companionship. Readers will want to don their own comfy sweaters and snuggle up with their loved ones. VERDICT A deceptively simple but warm and cozy celebration of autumn sweater weather.-Alyssa Annico, Youngstown State Univ., OHα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Review

“Getting ready to go out is a major production for a bear parent overseeing seven obstreperous cubs. . . . In nearly wordless vignettes, gestures and facial expressions do the comedic work as Phelan imagines ever more hilarious ways for small cubs to don big sweaters. . . . Phelan creates instantly likeable characters and a story that centers parenting seasoned enough to realize that setbacks are inevitable—and that makes space to enjoy the day, and beauty of nature, anyway.” —
Publishers Weekly
(starred review)

“‘Sweaters ON!’ the bear declares to a roomful of pajama-wearing cubs, and the story takes off. Wrangling seven small bears into sweaters is no easy feat, and the gloriously chaotic effort goes on . . . Phelan’s soft, colorful art, created with pencil, ink, and watercolor, amplifies the coziness of all the bears and their clothing. . . . The humor of the ending is just right, as is the large bear’s last directive—’Pajamas ON!’—leading to the story’s natural ending as a bedtime book. This tribute to the realities of parenting small children (and bears) revels in the humor and joy that can be found when the best-laid plans go awry.” — Horn Book
(starred review)

“A warm read for the fall. Phelan’s text is remarkably spare, with just a few precise phrases to knit together a narrative about an adult bear and their seven cubs. . . . Humorous watercolors show their little round bodies packed like sausages into a rainbow array of sweaters—including one sweater with two cubs stuffed inside. The struggle continues for several pages,