Bear Meets Bear

K-Gr 2–Best friends Bear and Spider are companionably waiting for the delivery of their new teapot. When Bear sees the delivery person, he is smitten. “Bear had never met such a charming lady bear. His heart beat fast. Bear wanted to say hello. He wanted to say something clever, or funny, or anything at all. But Bear’s mouth would not move.” His moment passes, and Bear immediately orders another teapot to try again. He obsessively waits, and the whole scenario repeats again and again, filling their home with unnecessary teapots. Spider is amused at first, but soon steps in to advise Bear to speak up and invite her to tea. Alas, someone else delivers the final teapot and Bear sinks into despair, forcing Spider to take matters into his own hands by tracking down the lady bear, a panda, and delivering an invitation on Bear’s behalf. Bear is surprised when Panda arrives, but is able to rally his emotions and host a pleasant tea party. Bear thanks Spider, and the final spread shows the three sipping lemonade while overseeing a teapot yard sale. The childlike obsessions of waiting, being tongue-tied, feeling awkward, and making iffy decisions—Spider sort of tricks Panda into a visit—while trying to solve a problem appear in charming mixed media illustrations featuring bold jewel tones; they add cozy details to the spare text. Not every reader will be ready for a story of a first crush, but the supporting lessons of friendship will resonate.