ROBIN IS A BEAR

Mr. Potter was left in charge of his daughter Gayle, who was sick in bed with a cold when his wife went to a Teachers' Conference. And although she had not specifically forbidden him to take Gayle skating at Peters Pond, to be on the safe side he made Gayle promise not to tell. And that was his undoing. For Mr. Potter was an indulgent father and a doting husband. At Peters Pond, gregarious Gayle met Robin, a gregarious bear, who skated backwards (better than Mr. Potter). From then on the inescapable bear showed up everywhere -- always at the wrong time, at home in the maid's uniform, at the movies wearing Gayle's beret, and most often of all in the back seat of the family jeep. The distraught father cannot explain the bear to his wife nor cope with Gayle's fixation on Robin. As the police Chief comes to investigate rumors that there is a ""b'ar -- h'ar"", Mr. Potter weakly refutes the idea while Robin, in the driveway, turns on the chief's police car siren and flashing lights. This air- borne fantasy of a befuddled father is effortlessly comical, perfect to read aloud or for children to read independently. There is a bizarre inevitability to the ending as Mr. Potter spikes the bear's honey to hasten hibernation. It's gaily, giddily gratifying and easy to read.