BRAVE BITSY AND THE BEAR

A charming tale of an unlikely friendship, this British import has an old-fashioned feel. Bitsy, a stuffed rabbit, gets lost in the woods one fall day. Rescued by a sleepy bear, Bitsy worries that her new friend won’t make it to his den before falling asleep. She ventures out the next morning, and with help from the other woodland animals, builds him a shelter. Beeke’s lovely watercolor and mixed-media illustrations present a pastoral world in which it seems entirely natural that a tiny purple toy rabbit and a smiling brown bear meet and converse. Softly rounded vignettes are interspersed with single page illustrations of sunny autumn scenes. Cold blues and icy whites dominate the winter scenes until bear is snugly sheltered. On the final double-page spread, the two friends are reunited, and sunny hues appear again. Bitsy’s habit of breaking into song adds an engagingly childlike dimension to her personality, as does her unsuccessful effort to hide behind her ears when frightened. Young listeners will be as pleased as bear to make Bitsy’s acquaintance. (Picture book. 3-6)