SARAH BEAR AND SWEET SIDNEY

The title characters, first seen hibernating--deliciously ensconced under comforters in a large double bed--are out of sync. First he gets up, rustles around, and insists that it's spring--although snow still covers the view from the window. Undaunted, he spring-cleans, plays his cello, bakes, and finally falls asleep again, just as the first robins finally arrive outdoors, and just as Sarah finally rolls out of bed. Never mind; she tiptoes around till he wakes again so that they can go out into the blooming world together. Patz uses frames for the visual component of her story, and these ebullient, roly-poly bears burst out of them with infectious enthusiasm; their vigor and affection are endearing, their foolish plight satisfyingly comic. Just the thing to rouse a class from a February doldrum.