Book excerpt: This springtime companion to Bear’s Winter Party combines fifteen kid-friendly recipes with a sweet story about friendship and food. When Bear wakes up after a long, cold winter, he makes a special spring lunch and invites Fox to join him. The food is delicious, and Fox asks Bear to teach him how to cook. They walk through the forest collecting honey, nuts and other wild ingredients, and they greet their friends along the way. With an armload of tasty foods, Bear and Fox return to Bear’s den and cook up a feast to share. Afterwards, Bear writes down his recipes so that Fox (and you!) can enjoy many marvelous meals. His cookbook — Best of Bear — offers a selection of kid-friendly, forest-themed recipes, including nut burgers, wild greens pita pizza, hazelnut–chocolate chip cookies and a wild strawberry smoothie. Readers can revisit the animal friends from Bear’s Winter Party and try out fifteen fun recipes in this playful story/cookbook from award-winning author Deborah Hodge, featuring exuberant art by Lisa Cinar. Key Text Features author’s note recipes index Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.5 Explain major differences between books that tell stories and books that give information, drawing on a wide reading of a range of text types.