Helen the Hungry Bear

""From the very beginning, Helen's mother knew that Helen was a Hungry Bear.'' Most of the time, Helen is a ``sweet little girl,'' but when she is hungry she becomesliterallya bear. This changes, however, at a picnic, when her family mistakes a real bear for Helen. She is so shocked by the real bear's behavior that she permanently changes into a little girlwhereupon the whole family goes to a snack bar to gorge on junk food. MacGregor's pastel drawings are sweetly rendered, but her story is a little peculiar. On the one hand, the idea of a little girl who turns into a bear is cute, but the book's overall message about food and eating is not so cute. Helen's eating habits as well as those of the real bear are portrayed as vulgar, whereas her family's eating binge represents the soul of family harmony. In an age when healthful eating is a concern of most parents, this book seems a bit unenlightened. Ages 4-7. (September)