Oliver Finds His Way

While Mother Bear hangs out the washing and Father Bear rakes the leaves, Oliver chases a big yellow leaf to the edge of the woods. Oliver stops, nothing is familiar. Mother Bear? Father Bear? he calls, no answer, he is lost! Can he find enough courage not to panic and find his way home?

Phyllis Root, the author of several award-winning books for children, lives
in Minnesota with her two daughters. About the inspiration for OLIVER FINDS HIS WAY, Phyllis Root recounts this anecdote from her childhood: "Once when I was very young, the legs I thought were my mother’s in a crowd turned out to belong to a stranger. My mother was lost. I hollered really loud, just like Oliver, and my mother found me."

Christopher Denise grew up in New England, and is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design. He was drawn to the story of Oliver because, he says, "I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to draw scenes of New England in the fall - bright blue skies, brilliant displays of red, yellow, and purple, cool crisp air, long visits to my grandparents’ house and, best of all, playing in the leaves." Christopher Denise’s first picture book was published in 1994, and since then he has illustrated seven more, including A REDWALL WINTER'S TALE by Brian Jacques.