For ages 4-8. Full of warmth and gentle humour, this is the story of Westley, an imaginative, precocious boy, and his struggle with the intrusion of an unwanted new step-dad into the happy, comfortable family he and his mother have formed. When Westley's mother announces her engagement to Stan and asks Westley to be the 'ring bear', he feels confused, frustrated, and anxious about his changing family situation and his role in the wedding ceremony. Engaging his imagination, he envisions himself as a rascally bear who will wreak havoc during the ceremony and act out his mixed feelings about his mother and Stan. When his step-dad realises the importance of Westley's imaginary world, he reveals his own sense of humour and fun by planning a special wedding treat for Westley that helps him transform himself into a willing ring bearer and stepson.

Author Biography

David Michael Slater is a seventh-grade language arts teacher and the author of Cheese Louise! He has written short stories that have appeared in Eureka, Pleiades, and Leviathan magazines and was named the Winner for New Talent in the Great American Book Contest, 2000. He lives in Portland, Oregon. S. G. Brooks is best known as one of the illustrators of Smokey the Bear. His work has appeared in Cricket magazine, The Washington Post, and The Natural Inquirer, and he illustrated The Three Armadillies Tuff. He lives in Washington, D.C.