The Bear Who Couldn't Hibernate
Winter is coming, but Barnaby Bear is too excited to sleep.
The leaves were turning red and gold, and the air smelled crisp and cool. Autumn had come to Pinecone Forest.
All autumn, Barnaby Bear had been eating and eating — berries, nuts, honey and fish. "I need to get nice and round," he said, "so I can sleep all winter long."
That is called hibernating. Some bears sleep in a warm den for months, and their bodies use the fat they stored in autumn to stay alive.
When the first snowflakes fell, Barnaby crawled into his cozy cave. He fluffed up his bed of leaves. He closed his eyes.
He opened one eye. "What if I miss something fun?"
He crept outside. The squirrels were busy hiding acorns. "Won't you miss me all winter?" asked Barnaby.
"We'll be busy too," said the squirrels. "We'll stay snug in our nest and nibble our acorns."
The geese honked overhead. "We're flying south where it's warm," they called. "See you in spring!" That is called migrating.
Barnaby yawned. Even the frogs were burrowing into the mud at the bottom of the pond.
"Everyone has a way to get through winter," Barnaby said sleepily. "Mine is sleeping."
He shuffled back into his cave, curled up, and began to snore. ZZZZZ.
When he woke up, the snow had melted, the flowers were blooming and the geese were back. "Spring!" Barnaby cheered. "I didn't miss a thing — it was all waiting for me!"
⭐ The End ⭐
💬 Talk about it
- What does hibernate mean?
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To sleep through the winter. - What do geese do in winter?
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They fly south where it's warm (migrate). - What did Barnaby see when he woke up?
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Melted snow, flowers and the geese coming back — spring.
