Two Orphan Cubs

A straightforward narrative tells how a mother black bear raises her two cubs in the depths of a den one winter: ``With soft, huffing noises the mother called the cubs to her. She licked them. Then she woofed as if to say, Stay. '' But while foraging for food in the early spring, the mother bear is shot and killed by a poacher, so real-life wildlife biologist Gary Alt (who is profiled in an endnote) must search for another mother bear to adopt the orphans. He soon succeeds, and the bears live happily ever after. The book's main strength is its soft, shadowy, mostly monochromatic illustrations, conjuring up a familial closeness in a world of dangers to young and old. Ages 3-5. (Mar.)