"You lazy bear! Bandal, wake up."
Mother Black Bear tried to wake Baby Black Bear up.
"Ahhh-ummm!"
Bandal yawned and stretched.
"Bandal, warm springtime is here. Let's go outside."
Bandal held his mother's hand and went outside the cave.
"Your hand is big but mine is small,"
said Bandal.
"It'll get bigger like my hand when you grow up."
"Really? Will my half-moon pattern get bigger too?"
"Of course. It'll get bigger than mine."
The forest was full of beautiful flowers.
A butterfly fluttered toward Bandal.
"Hello, I'm Bandal."
Bandal said hello while following the butterfly.
While following it, Bandal stopped in front of a tree.
"Mom, I want to climb this tree."
"Okay, give it a try. Be brave, now."
Bandal began to climb the tree bravely.
"Oh, no!"
Bandal slipped down from the tree.
"Are you okay, Bandal?"
Mother bear asked with concern.
"Yes, I'll try again."
"Oh, you're a brave bear, aren't you?"
Bandal felt better after hearing his mother's compliment.
"Mom, look at me! I climbed all the way up here."
"Great job, Bandal!"
Mother Bear smiled with joy.
Bandal was so happy to be with his mom.
Then suddenly, a huge wild pig ran towards Bandal.
"Roar!"
Bandal was so scared that he closed his eyes.
"Bandal, climb to the top of the tree now!",
Mother bear shouted.
Mother bear raised her two paws towards the wild pig.
Then, the wild pig got scared and ran away to the forest.
"I climbed up to the top just like you told me, and
I wasn't scared at all."
"Oh, my brave son! I'm really proud
of you,"
said mother bear while hugging Bandal tightly.
The sun was blazing, and the cicadas were chirping. It was a hot summer.
Bandal went to the stream with his mother.
"Oh, it's so cool here!"
Bandal splashed the water.
"Oh, it's cold! Bandal, stop!"
Bandal had great fun with his mother.
During fall, the green tree changes its clothes to red and yellow.
Bandal buried himself in the fallen leaves and rolled around.
"Mom, look at me!"
"Ha ha ha! You naughty bear!"
Mother bear smiled.
"Bandal, should we go and eat acorns with our friends in the forest?"
Toc! An acorn dropped on Bandal's head.
Bandal munched on the acorn.
A raccoon also munched on it,
and so did a flying squirrel.
An acorn tastes really good when it is shared with friends.
"One for mom, and one for Bandal!"
It tastes even better when it is shared with mom.
One day, Bandal asked his mom while shivering.
"Oh, it's cold… Mom, why is it so cold?"
"You must be really cold. Let me hug you.
It's cold because winter is coming soon."
Mother Bear brought lots of food that Bandal likes.
"We have to eat a lot before winter arrives."
"We have to eat all of this?",
Bandal asked with amazement.
"Black bears like us have to sleep for a long time through the winter."
Bandal and his mom ate pine nuts, walnuts, acorns, and wild grapes.
Mother bear's belly was full and so was Bandal's.
Bandal and his mom moved to a warm cave to spend the winter.
"Ahhh-uum! Mom, I'm sleepy."
Bandal cuddled up in his mom's arms.
"Mom, when will spring come?"
"We can go on a spring picnic after one, two, three, four…. 100 days.
Good night, Bandal."
Knock! Knock! Knock!
The snow melted and made Bandal's dry leaf blanket wet.
Cough cough!
Mother bear woke up after hearing Bandal's coughs.
"Oh dear, Bandal has a fever."
Mother bear was worried about Bandal's sickness.
Mother bear went outside the cave to get dry leaves for Bandal.
There was a strong wind outside.
"I'll be able to get dry leaves if I go over that hill."
Mother bear slipped on a frozen valley.
She lost her balance at the top of a dangerous cliff.
But she regained her strength by thinking about her son.
Bandal covered himself in a new dry leaf blanket and fell asleep again.
"It's done. Oh, I'm so relieved."
Cough cough! But this time, Mother Bear had a fever.
"My lovely Bandal. Sleep well, my son."
With Bandal in her arms, mother bear's eyes sparkled with tears in her eyes.
When the spring sun shined upon him, Bandal opened his eyes.
"Ahhhh-uum, what a nice sleep! Mom, wake up!"
But his mom didn't wake up as if she's still tired.
"Mom, mom! It's spring! Wake up!"
Bandal called her many times, but she did not move.
"Mom… Mom, why aren't you answering?"
On the day when his mother passed away, Bandal didn't leave her.
Bandal was now alone and missed his mother very much.
"Mom… Mom, I miss you."
Then, he saw the half-moon up in the sky.
"Oh? It's a large half-moon, just like my mother's!"
Suddenly, he heard his mother's voice.
"My dear Bandal. I'll always be with you in your heart."
"I love you, mom. Don't worry about me!
I'm a brave black bear."