Despite his creative attempts to prove otherwise, Brown Bear's parents assure him that he is too small and too young to come to their grown-up party; they put him to bed. Brown Bear decides on one last try: dressing in his parents' clothes, he sneaks out the back door and presents himself at the front. His indulgent parents tactfully play along until the little bear realizes that he's not really having that good a time after all, and--still maintaining his new identity--offers to go upstairs to tell Brown Bear a bedtime story. A nicely perceptive tale with humorous dialogue and warmly appealing illustrations. (Picture book. 4-8)
