The Bears Go to School

PreS-Gr 2—Bored cubs Pete and Gabby wander out of their campground and explore a nearby school. They play with the musical instruments and paint, climb the gym rock wall, set class pets free, and raid the lunchroom. The friends are discovered at last by the lunch ladies, who call the authorities to escort the well-meaning animals back to the campground. "'They just like to explore,' said the ranger. 'Bears will be bears.'" The story is unsatisfying despite the sweet Garth Williams-style drawings. Pete and Gabby occupy a strange quasi-anthropomorphic space in which they are wild enough that the humans they encounter will scream and call 911, but civilized enough that they wave to the children and ride home unrestrained in the backseat of a police cruiser. Are they dangerous? Are they just naughty? The scenario lacks internal logic, and readers are left with a mixed message. These bears are pretty tame, and the story is too.—Heidi Estrin, Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL