I Gotta Be Me! Bear and Duck by Katy Hudson

Bear has had it. Being a bear requires poaching some honey from the nearest hive. But being a bee requires that he who pilfers must be punished, and bear has had one too many stings on his nose.

He's had it with bearhood. His nose hurts, his fur is too thick and hot for late spring, and sleeping all winter is nothing but a drag.

"THAT'S IT. I'M DONE WITH BEING A BEAR!"

And just then an alternate lifestyle walks (waddles, actually) by--a mother duck trailed by her little ducktailed darlings, quack-quacking cheerily--and without giving it another thought, Bear steps in to the end of the line. What's not to like about a trial duckdom?

"PLEASE! CAN YOU HELP TEACH ME HOW TO BE A DUCK?"

Mother Duck quickly sizes up the situation. Better to help a bear than be a second helping for one, she figures, so she takes on the makeover.

Nest building is a bit challenging for a bear, and sitting on eggs requires a certain delicacy of positioning, but the next lesson, taking a dip in the pond, is quite refreshing. Splash! For some reason, ducklings don't seem to enjoy a water fight. Oh, well. On to the next lesson--flying!

But before he can attain liftoff, Bear's flying lesson turns into a crash course.

"BEING A BEAR DOESN'T SEEM ALL THAT BAD," REMARKS DUCK PHILOSOPHICALLY.

And there's a honey of a sweet ending in Katy Hudson's just published Bear and Duck (Harper/Collins Books, 2015) when Bear climbs a tree to sulk and finds a trove of honey to share with his new "family." Hudson's enticing pastel ink and watercolor illustrations have a little fun with trying out an unlikely alternative persona while finding a fun family to hang out with in this ducky tale of good friends found. "A charming story of friendship and acceptance, distinguished by humorous and affectionate illustrations," adds Kirkus Reviews" in their starred review.