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Chapter 1
Chapter 1: Not Yet, Mama!
The moon rose big and round over the tall pine trees. It painted silver light across the forest floor and made the river sparkle like a ribbon of diamonds.
Inside a cozy den beneath an old oak tree, Mama Bear stretched her arms wide.
"Bedtime, my little one," she said in her warm, rumbly voice.
Bertie's ears perked up. He was busy stacking pinecones into a tower, and he had just found the perfect one for the very top.
"But Mama," Bertie said, "I'm not sleepy at all! Not even a tiny bit!"
Mama Bear smiled. She had heard these words many times before.
"The moon is up, the owls are hooting, and all the little animals are tucking into their beds," she said.
"Maybe the other animals are tired," Bertie said, placing his pinecone on top of the tower. "But I still have so much energy! Watch!"
He bounced on his back paws, then spun in a circle, then did a little hop. His pinecone tower wobbled and fell with a soft clatter.
"See?" Bertie said, even though he was breathing a little harder now. "Wide awake!"
Mama Bear chuckled. "Come here, my busy bear."
She scooped Bertie up in her big, soft arms and carried him toward his bed of leaves in the corner of the den. The leaves were golden and brown, collected from the prettiest trees in the forest.
