Tree-huggers rejoice! Here is an environmental allegory that relies on humor—in illustrations as well as text—rather than heavy-handed didacti cism. Big Bear was “so filled with love and happiness” that he hugged every living thing in the forest—even “creatures that bears have been known to eat.” However, when a man with an axe attacks one of the forest’s most mag nificent specimens, Bear no longer feels like hugging. The story is perfectly paced so that page turns provide opportunities for prediction and surprise. Oldland’s subdued palette of greens and blues, accented by bear and his red bird companion, focuses readers’ eyes on facial expressions that add to the comical layer to this tale . lmp