Snow Bear's Surprise

What little bear won't do to surprise his mother with something really nice. While Mother Bear goes off for awhile, little bear uses his imagination to create or find things to decorate their den. First, he clears the entrance, then makes little snow bears, then goes out further to the wolves' den and finds icicles. At that point the little cubs join him. Later the rabbit picks flowers, the reindeer gathers tree branches, and the owl brings berries. In reality, I am thinking that animals who normally eat or run from each other now work together to bring happiness to little bear's mother? What about the other mothers? Why don't they decorate their homes? But I am an adult--I color in the lines. Luckily, children see themselves as little bear and want to please mother. So, yes, the others do help. Children color where they want. Ta da! There's a reward. Mother takes them all to a steep hill and presents the Aurora Borealis. The last page of the book is glued to the cardboard cover and inside is a network of blinking lights run by battery. Our library has had this book two years now and the lights are still blinking even though it is checked out all the time. The book has magic in it. The magic makes me want to color outside the lines now! Piers Harper is the artist, who has created the Artic in hues of blues, periwinkles, violets, grays, turquoise, and whites. The animals are coated with a substance to make them fuzzy, thus the subtitle: A soft-touch book. A magnificent book in all ways! Note: I have tried twice now to buy another copy of this book. If the description says "board book," you will receive a smaller version with each page a "board." This review is of the larger than average sized book with literal blinking lights in the back.