cover image To the Heart of a Bear: The Last Elegant Bear

To the Heart of a Bear: The Last Elegant Bear

Dennis Kyte. Little Simon, $12.95 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-671-54781-3

Kyte presents the second chronicle of the manor-born bear, Abiner Smoothie, known as The Last Elegant Bear. Restless one night, Abiner speculates on his ancestress, Lady Audrey Furwhistle, whose statue has been shrouded since she disgraced the family, centuries earlier. Abiner removes the cover and finds the image of a beautiful woman with a real ruby heart on a chain around the neck. The discovery pushes Abner into a quest to solve the mystery of Lady Audrey's sin, hinted at in a riddle chiseled into the statue. Puppy (Abiner's rabbit friend) and the bear's many relatives join him on board the Argyle, sailing to exotic lands and strange adventures. Along the way, the young Smoothie picks up more clues to the case of the red heart and he restores it, at last, to its rightful owner. Kyte's inspired puns and delicately colored paintings provide extra attractions to his funny, fanciful tale. 20,000 first printing. (All ages)