Collectors of pop-up books have most of Sabuda's work, and they won't want to miss this one. His paper engineering is simply the best there is, and he has led such a resurgence of the art that Simon & Schuster has a line of Classic Collectable Pop-ups, and many bookstores now have a separate display. Unlike some of his busier and more active books, this one is calm and contemplative, with a lovely, gentle feel. If his Encyclopedia Prehistorica: Dinosaurs was Rock & Roll, this one is New Age.

As a work for kids, though, it is less successful than some of his adaptations of others' writing. The text is instantly forgettable, and the color scheme is problematic. As in some of his other books, most of the animals are all in white, with colored backgrounds. But some of these animals are so abstract that without color clues children may have difficulty making them out. Nevertheless, the abstraction, gentle prose, and mild mystery of the narrator make this a wonderful book for an adult and child to puzzle out together in front of the fire on a cold winter's night.

From the Book:
Over by the ridge, the old bear reflects on the dancing, cold rush of the river. The water explodes in a fresh burst of silver, as breakfast escapes in a flash.