The Best Kind of Bear

An intrepid teddy wonders what kind of bear he is and, encouraged by a girl called Nelly, embarks on a journey to find out. At each location he encounters a different type of bear—a grizzly who enjoys napping, a black sun bear who loves “honey, honey, honey”—but while he shares interests with each, key differences (among them the wash tag on his bottom) distinguish him from others in the family Ursidae. Dispirited, Bear returns home: “I suppose that I’m just an ordinary and uninteresting bear.” “You’re my kind of bear” Nelly responds, provoking Bear’s titular realization that “that’s the best kind of bear to be.” Barrow’s friendly illustrations, awash in painterly layers, lend each adventure-filled scene a storybooklike enchantment that’s a ready match for Bear’s identity quest. Ages 2–5. [em](Nov.) [/em]