There, There

K-Gr 2—Hare loudly makes his displeasure and boredom known to his large friend Bear with fits of temper and repeated complaints (framed in rhyming verse) during a rainy summer afternoon. He's trapped inside with a leaking roof, he can't enjoy "games and picnics in the sun," and, worst of all, the carrots are moldy. "There, there," commiserates busy Bear. He makes every attempt to calm his friend with a chess match, muffins, and tea, but when all else fails, Bear finally loses patience and drags his friend outside to prove a point: it's far better to count blessings than complain, for "if you think your life is grim, just be glad that you're not [a worm]." In this cautionary tale for young whiners in training, cartoonish acrylic illustrations use varied perspectives to depict the details of the pair's warm, cozy den; an unrelenting pelting rain across thickly textured backgrounds; and a range of emotions for both Bear and Hare. Expressions of kindly concern, anger, pain, and frustration pass across faces as Hare vents without stop and Bear repeatedly tries to console him.