Frank Tashlin

Un jour, un ours se tenait à la lisière d'une grande forêt. Des oies sauvages volaient vers le sud, les feuilles des arbres commençaient à tomber : l'hiver approchait. L'ours trouva une caverne et s'y endormit. Mais des hommes construisirent une énorme usine juste au-dessus de sa caverne. Quand il se réveilla au printemps, l'ours ne reconnut rien. Plus de forêt, plus d'herbe ni de fleurs ! Dans une usine, il n'y a que des gens qui travaillent.
Il a beau protester, personne n'accepte de croire que c'est bien un ours...

Once upon a time, in fact it was Tuesday, the Bear wandered into the woods. It was fall, but winter would soon be here, and he could feel that it was time to hibernate, so he did. But when he awoke what had happened? The trees were gone, the grassy glades were gone, the flowers were gone, and in their place were buildings, vehicles, a fenced-off courtyard. The Bear had no idea that he was in the middle of a factory, and he was even more astonished when a man appeared and yelled, Get back to work! I don't work here, said the Bear, I'm a bear. And the man laughed and laughed. That's a fine excuse for a man to keep from doing work--saying he's a bear. And so it began and so it went, with the Bear protesting his bearness all the way to the top, and no one willing to believe that he wasn't just a silly man who needs a shave and wears a fur coat. How the Bear endured and how he finally prevailed are the subject of this delightful modern fairy tale, beautifully illustrated by the author's bold line drawings, about how difficult standing up for yourself can be.