"where, Where Is Swamp Bear?"

Appelt (Bubbles, Bubbles, 2001, etc.) offers a consciousness-raiser about an endangered animal in a catchy, rhymed dialogue for two voices. As a tubby, cheerful-looking bear romps unnoticed in the background—or foreground, sometimes—of a Louisiana swamp, young Pierre pesters his patient Granpere: "PIERRE: But where, where is Swamp Bear? GRANDERE: Wherever there's a pine tree to use as a scratching post. PIERRE: Not a sweet gum or a tupelo? GRANPERE: I've heard she likes the pine trees most." Halsey (Circus 1-2-3, not reviewed, etc.) depicts a variety of swamp fauna (identified on the endpapers) slipping between the cypress in her layered, cut-paper illustrations, and Appelt's closing plea for the elusive Louisiana black bear includes the true story of how one became the original "Teddy" bear. Readers will love finding the nearly hidden bear in every spread. Perfect fare for young naturalists and a "natural" for tandem reading aloud too. (Picture book. 5-7)