Little Bear, little bear, where are you?

Little Bear?

[Laughing]

There you are.

Uncle Rusty and I are playing.

You look very nice, Mother Bear.

Thank you, Little Bear.

Well, we're going now.

Uncle Rusty will keep an eye on you.

Don't you worry. Little Bear and I will be just fine.

Goodbye, Little Bear.

What are we going to do, Uncle Rusty?

Well, you'll have to help me out.

I've never been a Little Bear sitter before.

Oh, it's easy.

First, we have to run around the house.

Didn't we just do that?

Yes, but this time you have to count to five and then try to catch me okay?

Okay, I'm counting. One, two, three, four, five.

Ready or not, here I come.

Now where can that Little Bear be?

He has to be around here somewhere.

Boo!

Here I am, Uncle Rusty.

[Laughing]

Hello, Little Bear.

Hello, Owl.

What are you playing?

I'm teaching my Uncle Rusty to be a Little Bear sitter.

Oh, I know something about Little Bear sitting.

What can you tell me, Owl?

Well, a good Little Bear sitter always has lots of games to play.

That's right. Like...

You have to run up that hill, Uncle Rusty, and we try to catch you.

That's a very big hill.

Not too big for a good Little Bear sitter.

Okay, here I go.

I caught you!

No fair, Owl. You can fly.

Exactly.

Let's do this. Follow me.

What are you doing?

We're teaching my Uncle Rusty to be a Little Bear sitter.

Oh, it looks like fun.

It is, Duck. Do you have any ideas?

Hmm.

How about playing music?

Music.

Well, all right then.

Hello, Little Bear. What are you playing?

Hello, Cat. We're teaching Uncle Rusty to be a Little Bear sitter.

Oh.

Faster, Uncle Rusty.

Come and join us, Cat.

I don't dance.

Yes, you do.

Oh, all right.

Well, the sun's going down.

That means it'll be bedtime soon.

Already? Not yet.

A Little Bear sitter never lets you go to bed on an empty stomach.

Is that right?

Oh, absolutely.

And a good Little Bear sitter always makes sure there's enough for his friends, too.

Well, then, we all better get something to eat.

Now, let's see. Mother Bear's homemade pie.

How does that sound?

That sounds delicious, Uncle Rusty. Maybe with whipped cream.

All right. Homemade pie with whipped cream, it is.

And cookies on top. And a glass of milk.

And three cherries, too.

Hot cocoa would be nice.

You sure? I don't want to make any mistakes here.

We all agree, Uncle Rusty. The pie with the whipped cream and cookies and a glass of milk.

Very nice.

Mmm. Yummy. Mmm.

Mmm. I think your Uncle Rusty will make a very good Little Bear sitter.

Mmm. I agree.

The best. Thank you. You've all been very helpful.

Now, Little Bear, shouldn't everyone go home so you can show me how to put you to bed?

Oh, Uncle Rusty. There's one more thing. The most important thing of all.

What's that? A bedtime story.

Oh, that's right. How could I have forgotten that?

Okay. Now, what kind of story shall we have?

I better tell the story, Uncle Rusty. Then you can hear how it's done.

That's a good idea.

Don't fall asleep, Uncle Rusty. This is going to be a great story.

Once upon a time, a Little Bear woke up in the morning and decided to run around the house with his Uncle Rusty.

They ran and they ran and they weren't even tired.

Then Owl came and they chased Uncle Rusty up a hill.

And they still weren't tired. Mmm.

The duck came and they danced and danced. And then Cat came and they danced some more.

Oh, they still weren't even tired.

Hello? Little Bear? Rusty?

[snoring]

[snoring]

We're going to have an adventure today, aren't we, Father Bear?

Yes, Little Bear. Today is going to be full of surprises.

I love surprises. I wonder where we should go.

Well, that's part of the adventure, and it's part of the surprise.

Father Bear, how many parts does the surprise have?

Now just you wait and see.

Alright.

A waterfall.

Is that part of the surprise?

It's a beauty, but nope.

A log bridge. That's a good surprise.

There's more to come. Follow me, Little Bear.

Be careful.

What?

Be careful.

Yes, it is beautiful.

[laughing]

Is that Clear Blue Lake?

That's it, Little Bear. And look.

Is that the surprise, Father Bear?

Half of it. We'll have to wait for the other half.

Let's try a little fishing.

Good idea.

Oops.

Thanks.

Oh, I think I've got one.

That's a good one, Father Bear.

Oh, and you've got one too.

It's a jumper.

Slowly.

Slowly.

Good. You've got it.

You're a good fisherman, Little Bear.

You're a good teacher, Father Bear.

What was that?

Surprise, Little Bear.

Hello there.

Uncle Rusty.

Hello Rusty.

How about a big bear hug for your uncle?

[laughing]

Are you coming on our adventure?

You don't think I'd let you go without me, do you?

This is a very good surprise, Father Bear.

I thought you might like it.

We're fishing, Uncle Rusty. Do you want a fish, too?

Sure.

Wow, Uncle Rusty, you got one.

Come on in and give it a try.

Okay, stand very still.

Wait until you see a fish, then scoop it up.

I see one.

[laughing]

You just need a little more practice.

Stay very quiet.

Or do it!

You're a good fisherman, Little Bear.

That's just what Father Bear told me.

Now we'd better get a move on if we're going to the top of the world.

We're going to the top of the world?

That's right.

Now the real hiking begins.

It sure is foggy up here.

I can't see anything.

We're inside a cloud, Little Bear.

We must be really high up if we're inside a cloud.

Snow!

We're almost there, Little Bear.

Listen.

It's the evening wind, Little Bear.

We're blowing the clouds away.

I can see so far.

We're on top of the world!

That feels good.

Yes, Father Bear. We're a good surprise.

Oh. Look, big brother. Our walking sticks are still here.

From the first time we came here, when we were cubs just like you.

And now it's my turn.

Congratulations, Little Bear.

Now you've been to the top of the world.

I'm on top of the world!

World!

Look, Father Bear. That's the biggest moon I've ever seen.

Yes, it's a beautiful sight, Little Bear.

I wish I could take it back and show it to Mother Bear.

I know a story about a little Bear who wanted to do the very same thing.

You do?

Mm-hmm. This little Bear was away from his mother Bear and missed her very much.

Oh, he must have been a little, little Bear.

Well, maybe.

You see, he missed his mother Bear so much that he wanted to take the moon back to her as a present.

But you can't do that. The moon is too far away.

Well, this little Bear knew that, but he thought if he could scoop up the moon's reflection out of the water,

he could carry it home to his mother Bear in a bucket.

Hello, moon. I'm going to take you home and show you the mother Bear.

Back and forth he went, spoonful after spoonful, night after night.

But it's not the real moon in the water.

Listen to your Uncle Rusty.

Oh, this little Bear knew that, because his friends had told him.

I know who his friends are.

You do?

Owl, hen, duck, and cat.

Yes, I believe you're right.

Ooh!

Little Bear, what are you doing?

I'm putting the moon in this bucket.

Why?

Is it going to fit? I'm going to give it to mother Bear as a present.

Oh, you can't do that.

Yes, I can.

The little Bear was determined. He kept spooning one spoonful after another.

I think the moon is shrinking.

I still don't see any moon in the bucket.

And neither do I. It can't be done.

Was the moon really getting smaller?

Oh, yes. Night after night, the little Bear was making progress.

Look! The moon is half gone.

Oh, the bucket is half full.

So the moon was in the bucket?

Well, the little Bear hoped so, because one night the bucket was full and the moon was gone.

The moon is gone.

You did it, little Bear.

Well, I don't see it, but I know it's in there.

So little Bear carried the full bucket back to mother Bear.

And did he give her his present?

Well, yes and no.

What did he got there, little Bear?

I brought you a present, mother Bear.

Oh, what is it?

It's the moon.

Oh.

I know it's in there.

I spoon some of it out of the lake every night.

Well, then, I'm sure it is in there.

Thank you, little Bear.

Little Bear picked up the bucket and put it in the corner of his room.

Hello, moon. I know you're in there.

Why don't you come out?

He waited and waited, but night after night the moon stayed hidden.

There was no moon in the bucket and no moon in the sky.

The poor little Bear.

I don't think the story's over yet.

No, not at all. You see, that's when the little Bear's friends came to see him.

Hello, everyone.

Hello, little Bear. We want to talk to you.

It's too dark out. I know.

Very dark. Yes, I can see that.

And we were wondering when you're going to put the moon back.

Maybe the moon doesn't belong in a bucket.

You're right.

Oh. Hello, everybody.

Mother Bear, I have to put the moon back in the sky.

Good idea.

It was a dark night. The clouds filled the sky.

As the little Bear carried the bucket back to the lake, his mother Bear and all his friends were with him.

[barking]

He waited into the lake, lifted the bucket, and threw the water into the lake.

There it is. The moon's back.

That's great.

I'm glad the moon's back.

Where it belongs.

And where everybody can see it.

It's a lovely moon.

Look, Mother Bear. Isn't that the biggest moon you've ever seen?

It certainly is, little Bear. It's a beautiful sight.

And so the moon was back in the water and back in the sky.

So he did it, Uncle Rusty. He did give the moon to his mother Bear.

And now, whenever his mother Bear looks up at the night sky and sees the moon,

she knows her little Bear can see the moon too.

Thank you for the story, Uncle Rusty.

Good night, Father Bear.

Good night, little Bear.

Good night, Mother Bear.

[BLANK_AUDIO]