The Tale of the Greedy Raven and the Hungry Bear

Carol Bodrug is a former elementary-school teacher with the Durham Board
of Education.

Mandy Bengts writes a humorous tale in rhyming four-line verses in an
Aesop’s fable style. The cunning raven and gullible bear set off on a
“food adventure” to “tummy tempting pleasure.” Even though the
bear had “opened” the treasure trove of “tasty treats,” the
greedy raven wanted more and more for himself. He tricked the bear into
going elsewhere to search out even more food. The raven gorged himself
until “he couldn’t move one bit” and “he couldn’t even sit.”
When the bear returned and realized the raven had tricked him into
leaving and was now too big and fat to fly, the bear turned the tables
and tricked the raven. The lively verses tell the story with humor and
deliver a moral too.

Accompanying the text are brightly colored, simple illustrations on
dark-blue pages that were drawn out of construction paper by Grade 8
student Michael Bennington. This entertaining picture book is perfect
for reading aloud. Recommended.