A Song for Bear

One day Bear decides he will sing with the birds –
he has heard every tune and he knows all the words.
But as hard as he tries to fit in with their song,
when he opens his mouth it comes out sort of wrong.
Each creature is different, that’s just how it goes,
but will Bear ever realise what’s under his nose?

Bear wakes every morning to beautiful birdsong, and longs to join in. He stretches his legs, puts on his cap and braces and thinks he must try to join in with the beautiful bird song all around him in the forest. But he is downhearted to discover his song is more of ‘a holler, a howl and rumbling growl; With a sort of snore, all combined in a “Roar!”’.

His wise friend, Owl, tries to encourage him by pointing out that Bear is not a bird, but Bear gets the wrong end of the stick and attempts to fly, as if that might improve the quality of his song by making him more bird-like. In the end, Bear concentrates on what he does best. All of the forest animals gather to watch him perform his new song, and cheer in amazement at his newfound talent. Satisfied with finding what makes him unique, Bear smiles to himself and promptly falls back to sleep.

About the Author and the Illustrator

Gabby Dawnay is a writer and poet. She is a regular contributor to OKIDO magazine and a scriptwriter for children’s television. Alex Barrow is a London-based illustrator and both the art director and a regular contributor at OKIDO magazine.