Something cold tickled Snowshoe Hare on the nose. He looked up to see snowflakes tumbling and twirling. They carpeted the grassy clearing, coated the pine trees, and capped the rocks. Snowshoe Hare could hardly feel them dusting his fur. He leaped up to catch them on his tongue. Each one vanished before he could taste it.
“Quit fooling around,” said Bear, ambling into the clearing. “Can’t you feel how cold the air is? That’s the signal. It’s time to hibernate.”
“What does that mean?” Snowshoe Hare asked, stopping to catch his breath.
“I find a place to sleep when winter comes,” Bear said. “I won’t come out again until it’s warmer.”
Snowshoe Hare didn’t feel cold. Why should Bear, with her thick fur coat, need to hide from winter? “Where…
