Bear's friends awaken him the day before Christmas and help him to stay awake as they bake fruitcakes, fill stockings, and sing carols; then, while they sleep, he prepares his own surprise.

As Bear and his friends stroll through the forest, they find different kinds of bird's eggs and leave gifts for the soon-to-be chicks.

When Monty the chipmunk's cupcake is stolen, owl detectives Wallace and Grace try to find "whoo-done-it."

"A modern spin on "The Ant and the Grasshopper," this warm-spirited, woodland tale celebrates the power of community and coming together to share in times of need"-- Provided by publisher.

"Raccoon is bored so decides to bake an apple cake. He has no eggs so visits his friend Fox. She's mending the roof but needs a ladder. Badger will have one! Off they go... A walk with Fox leads to a picnic with Badger leads to a climbing expedition with Crow leads to... the best day out - a perfect, wonderful day!"--Back cover.

Each day, from September through November, brings glimpses of forest animals seeking food in preparation for the onset of winter, from a fox sniffing the last apple on the ground to a flock of wild turkeys that finds nothing.

In the middle of winter, different forest animals awake and run sniffing through the trees, to discover a single flower growing in the snow.

Little Owl enjoys a lovely night in the forest visiting his friend the raccoon, listening to the frogs croak and the crickets chirp, and watching the fog that hovers overhead.

As final preparations are being made for a long-planned surprise party, Bear gets so excited he nearly ruins everything.

When Bear is too sick to play, his animal friends go to his cave to make him soup and tea and keep him company.