Don't You Feel Well, Sam?

"This follow-up to the best-selling KISS GOOD NIGHT will comfort little ones like a cozy blanket that’s tucked in just right." — BOOKLIST (starred review)

In the little white house, Mrs. Bear is putting Sam to bed, when suddenly — HCK HCK! coughs Sam. Mrs. Bear gets some syrup. But the syrup tastes bad, and there’s too much of it on a too-big spoon, and it’s too hard to swallow. What will make Sam feel better? Acclaimed picture-book creators Amy Hest and Anita Jeram revisit Sam and Mrs. Bear as they share a quiet moment of comfort that is enough to conquer the coldest night.

Publishers Weekly

In this followup to the team's Kiss Good Night, bear cub Sam comes down with a cough "Hck, hck!" he hacks and is doted upon by his unflappable mother. If Sam can steel himself to take his cough medicine ("Tastes bad," he says, before his mother even pours out the syrup. "I don't have a cough"), then Mrs. Bear will reward his bravery by letting him stay up to watch the snowfall. "Sam leaned back on his mama's soft belly, and it wriggled while she talked," writes Hest after the deed is done. "The little fire glowed and the kitchen was warm." Jeram nestles tiny Sam into Mrs. Bear's voluminous girth (sweetly playing up the contrast in their sizes, as she did so effectively in the first book), while the thickly textured ocher walls of their snug home seem to stand guard against the frigid night. As in the earlier title, Hest's soothingly rhythmic and repetitive prose, Jeram's burnished-hued acrylics, and the unwavering affection between Sam and his mother conjure up the essence of familial warmth. Being sick may have its downside, but the author and illustrator emphasize the extra coddling and indulgences that come with feeling under the weather. Ages 2-6. (Sept.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Amy Hest is the author of many books, including KISS GOOD NIGHT and WHEN JESSIE CAME ACROSS THE SEA, both of which received the Christopher Medal; and IN THE RAIN WITH BABY DUCK, winner of the Boston Globe- Horn Book Award. She says, "My kids are way bigger than I am now, but I remember some long-ago nights . . . and rushing to their rooms when things weren’t quite right. There were many hugs, of course. And occasionally, a dose of terrible-tasting medicine, then we watched the night sky."

Anita Jeram is the illustrator of the best-selling GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU by Sam McBratney and KISS GOOD NIGHT by Amy Hest. She is also the author-illustrator of I LOVE MY LITTLE STORYBOOK; BUNNY, MY HONEY; and ALL TOGETHER NOW. About DON'T YOU FEEL WELL, SAM? she says, "My children love the anticipation of a snowfall, and to see a ‘brand-new’ crisp, white landscape outside is like magic. Sam shares that magic with his Mama, and it helps him to be brave."