When Bear decides to go into “people town” one night, he finds a discarded red couch in a pile of junk. He doesn’t know what it is, but he immediately takes a shine to it, loving that it’s “a springy thing. A bouncy thing. A sit-on-it, hop-on-it, jump-on-it thing.” In other words, a Thingity-Jig. He rushes to ask his friends (a rabbit, a fox, and a raccoon) for help moving the thingity-jig to their forest home, but they are too sleepy and want Bear to leave them alone. So Bear returns on his own and decides that with some wheels, he can move it. With some old scraps he builds a Rolly-Rumpity, but then he needs help lifting the Thingity-Jig onto the Rolly-Rumpity, so once again he returns to his friends. Two more rejections lead to two more inventions (a Lifty-Uppity and a Pushy-Poppity) so that Bear can finally get the Thingity-Jig home. By then the other animals are awake and, of course, they love bouncing, jumping, and sitting on the Thingity-Jig, too. Bear’s clever inventions—all based on simple mechanics like the wheel, the lever, and the pulley—are playfully described, and the funny, energetic illustrations complement the story well. (Ages 3-6)

A bear’s curious discovery leads to crafty inventions in this storytime romp filled with whimsical wordplay and themes of friendship, imagination, and STEAM.

★ “Doherty’s joyous, inventive, action-packed language begs to be shouted out loud....A delightful, rollicking, joyous romp.” —Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW

An inquisitive bear ventures into People Town, where he makes quite the curious discovery. What is this? A springy thing—a bouncy thing—a sit-on-it, jump-on-it thing! It’s a bit too cumbersome to bring back to the woods, however, so Bear runs home to tell his friends. But none of his friends are willing to help, so Bear invents a “Rolly-Rumpity” to wheel home the “Thingity-Jig.” Through trial and error—and lots of shooing away from sleepy friends—Bear finally wheels the "Thingity-Jig" home to the woods, where he graciously shares his find.

Reading specialist and former educator Kathy Doherty blends upcycling and STEAM with a delightful story and wordplay in this charismatic picture book that’s ideal for read alouds. Illustrator Kristyna Litten brings the charming world to life with detailed, imaginative art and characters.