Expectations are challenged in this postmodern picturebook. A little girl, dressed in red, is lost in a forest, and comes across a bear. However, the bear is not a threat and becomes her friend. The girl and the bear have a lovely time together: through his company, the girl is able to embrace the joy of the outside world, rather than being intimidated by it. After watching the sky together on a hilltop, the girl says goodbye to the bear and disappears through a crack in the image. It becomes clear that all has not been what it seems — the bear sits, on the final page, reading a picturebook with a picture of the little girl upon it. What happened? What is real, and what is not real? The picturebook is a nice way to tease out the possibilities of metafiction in the representation of a cultural theme.
