cover image BAILEY THE BEAR CUB

BAILEY THE BEAR CUB

Nannie Kuiper, J. Verstegen, N. Kuiper, , illus. by Jeska Verstegen, trans. by J. Alison James. . North-South, $15.95 (32pp) ISBN 978-0-7358-1624-4

A plump, velvety and rapidly growing ursine hero stands at a crossroads. "It is time for you to learn how to find your own food," his mother tells him. But Bailey is far from an eager pupil—until one night when, hungry but unwilling to wake his mother, he discovers he has a talent for foraging. With little dramatic tension or suspense, the tale feels as if it's been carefully swaddled in cotton. The things that Bailey fears most about food-finding offer not one whit of menace: the bees who guard the honeycomb are asleep (and regardless, Mother tells him, "They can't sting you.... Your fur is much too thick"); the water where the fish live is no longer icy. Bailey's button eyes and cushy softness radiate cuddliness, and Verstegen's green and blue-hued watercolors possess a translucence that gives every spread a chiffon-like prettiness. But children in this age group may yearn for a hero who has to work a bit harder to prove his mettle. Ages 5-8. (Apr.)