Growly the bear awakens from a nap under a tree, wishing to be something else: a leafy beech tree, with refreshing leaves instead of fur, a bee flying through the meadow, able to taste as much honey as it desires. Or a carp in the stream, always playing in the cool water, whose parents don't make it wash when it gets dirty. But Growly's attempts to transform into something he is not don't quite work out. He can't fly like a bee, and as a carp explains to him, being like her would entail too much sacrifice. He would have to shed his fur forever and swim naked in the river, he would no longer have arms and legs, and he would have to keep his eyes open at all times, even while sleeping, without blinking even once. What frightens Growly the most, however, is the idea of losing his tongue, something carps don't have. And it's better to be able to taste honey, and to have arms to hug Mama. And ultimately, to be happy being a bear.

Toshiko Kanzawa (Author), Yosuke Inoue (Illustrator), Marta Morros (Translator)

Dimensions
7.09 x 0.39 x 4.72 inches

Number of pages
76 pages

Reading age
From 3 years old