LITTLE BEAR’S NEW FRIEND
by Else Holmelund Minarik & illustrated by Heather Green
Having jumped from printed page to TV screen, Little Bear now jumps back, with a fresh adventure written by the author of the originals, but a new illustrator and format. The result may leave readers confused: first, by the admission of another bear cub whom Little Bear meets on a camping trip that he “lost” his parents in a storm. They are alive, as it turns out, and reappear just in time to save the two friends from a mountain lion. Second, Green colors the two unclothed cubs inconsistently, even leaving them indistinguishable in several scenes. Despite flashes of poker-faced humor that hark back to the classic Sendak-illustrated titles, a cozy ending and even, with the mountain lion stalking the cubs through the tale, some suspense, this patchy, uninspired revival won’t win Little Bear any new fans. (Picture book. 5-7)