BIG BROWN BEAR'S BIRTHDAY SURPRISE

Lovable Big Brown Bear is back in a series of simply told, lively chapters. At a picnic with his friend Rat, Bear is reminded that it is his birthday. When Rat goes to retrieve his present, which he says has four letters and begins with B, Big Brown Bear spots a boat and thinks that is his present. Although told it is not, Bear decides to take Rat with him for a ride before they return it to the owner. The two manage to pick up a hat and a fishing pole from the water before they encounter and rescue the boat's owner, unfortunately also sinking the boat. Finally, Rat delivers the present, and the friends enjoy a birthday cake as well. Bear carries his pink blanket on the half-title page, unfurling it across the title page spread, while Rat totes the relatively enormous picnic basket on the dedication page. McPhail's pen deftly depicts this unlikely anthropomorphic friendship, setting the watercolor scene in a bucolic park with leafy greenery and a smoothly flowing river. It's a charmingly peaceful adventure.