The Bear Who Hated Baths Poem by Liilia Talts Morrison

There was a little bear
Who hated to take baths
When it was time to wash
He hid in leafy paths

The other bears would laugh
To see his matted fur
All mottled in dark shades
Mixed in with grass and burs

One windy autumn day
He sat beneath a tree
And oh, so suddenly
Was stung by a small bee

He let out a bear yell
And felt a painful ache
Then without thought or care
He ran into a lake

His mother brought him home
All wet and soaked, but clean
And ever since that day
He's loved to bathe and preen

The village bears rejoiced
And let him join their club
As friend and playmate dear
And bought him a fine tub

They come from far and near
To see this fancy bear
All shiny bright and clean
With fluffy fur so fair.