Every Autumn Comes the Bear

Decidedly less friendly-looking than the animal star of The Bear That Heard Crying (reviewed below) is the imposing beast that dominates the pages of naturalist Arnosky's latest offering. This untamed creature is a yearly visitor to the wooded hill behind the author's Vermont farm. In addition to the bear, readers meet a bobcat, a red fox, a grouse and several other woodland animals. The lean, powerful text uses an intimate, conversational tone to tell of typical bear ways: the bear drinks water from a spring, claws a tree trunk and follows forest trails ``just to see where each one leads.'' Each of the full-page watercolors is vibrant, translucent and strikingly composed. Arnosky has mastered the simple knowledge that comes from firsthand observation, and his paintings may elicit from readers the desire to make everyday discoveries of their own. Ages 3-6. (Oct.)