"Ask them to come as soon as we get home!" urged
Little Bear in a whisper to his mother so loud that the
Otter children heard it, and laughed.

And that night Little Bear dreamed of taking home a
baby otter and of being invited to slide down that baby
otter's toboggan slide all the afternoon.

Once in midsummer when wild roses were blooming
along the river bank behind the Three Bears' house in
the forest and wild birds were singing from every thicket,
Father Bear built a raft and took his family floating
downstream. The raft was made of logs firmly fastened
together. It was big and strong, and had three rustic
chairs on it--a big, big chair for the big Father Bear,
a middle-sized chair for middle-sized Mother Bear, and
a wee, wee chair for wee Little Bear. There were also
poles to keep the raft from bumping against the river
bank: a rather heavy pole made just for huge Father
Bear, a middle-sized pole for middle-sized Mother Bear,
and a long, light pole for Little Bear.

Soon they were far from home, but it was afternoon
before anything special happened. There was a bend in
the river, and when the raft came swishing and tumbling
round that bend the Three Bears saw a little log house
on a hillside and many children playing outside the
door.