Cooking with Bear (A Story and Recipes from the Forest)

When Bear wakes up after a long, cold winter, he’s happy to see the signs of spring. To celebrate, he makes a special meal of fresh watercress soup and crusty seed bread. Fox follows his nose to Bear’s den and joins him for lunch. The food is delicious, and Fox, who is tired of eating the same old thing, asks Bear to teach him how to cook.

Together, they walk through the forest and gather ingredients. Along the way, they greet Squirrel, Chickadee, Beaver, Deer and Hare, asking their friends how they fared over the winter and what their favorite foods are. Bear and Fox are inspired by what they hear and find, and they return to Bear’s kitchen to cook a feast of forest foods to share with their neighbors.

At the end of the day, Bear writes a cookbook for Fox called Best of Bear — full of recipes that young readers can enjoy cooking, too! These fifteen delicious, kid-friendly recipes celebrate the foods of spring with dishes like watercress soup, nut burgers, wild greens pita pizza, hazelnut–chocolate chip cookies and a wild strawberry smoothie.

Readers will be happy to see how the animal friends from Bear’s Winter Party are doing in this joyful story, with recipes from award-winning author Deborah Hodge and exuberant art by illustrator Lisa Cinar.