SNUG

The boundless energy of a toddler is dramatized through the antics of Snug, a bear cub, and his mother. Snug has his mind on one thing only—play. Mother Bear has other plans: She is bent on teaching him the survival skills needed in the wild, e.g., how to dig bulbs, find anthills, and fish for trout. Snug gets underfoot, becomes stuck in a log, is swept downstream, and finds himself jabbed by angry blue jays when he climbs a tree. Finally, after many lessons learned the hard way, Snug and Mother Bear take a moment to wrestle and rumble in play. Cut-paper pictures use a warm palette to illustrate curious bears in a natural setting, although Taylor is better at creating snuggly, loving scenes than suspenseful ones. (Picture book. 3-6)