THE MIRACLE OF THE BEARS

In this tongue-in-cheek import, a naïve young bear’s question about how one goes about becoming a papa gets silly answers from a succession of sly passersby. Though fairly sure that baby bears aren’t pulled out of turnip beds, as a rabbit suggests, or hatched like magpies or, as a crafty salmon claims, brought by the stork, he gives each a whirl, with predictable results. Erlbruch captures the tale’s wry tone perfectly in his smoothly painted woodland scenes, adding some between-the-lines bits of physical comedy, and in the end mercifully introducing the bear to a female who leads him off into “some long, some very long, grass.” Not exactly explicit, but children who already know (or think they know) how to answer bear’s query will be rolling in the aisles. (Picture book. 6-8)