It was Cow, out for her evening wander, and perhaps a visit with any of the Forest Folk she happened to meet.

PearBear found himself looking into Cow's eyes. Only Cow was right-side up and he was upside down. No wonder Cow was curious. It is very rare to see upside down bears.

Right then, Deer walked up and looked at PearBear for a few minutes to see what would happen next. Nothing much did, and Deer asked if PearBear was exercising. A few more of the Forest Folk appeared, because it was a lovely, warm spring evening, and Favorite Pear Tree was the visiting place. PearBear still had not explained anything because he was thinking about what to say.

It was very complicated to tell them all about Bat and the view from upside down. Actually, as he thought about it, it was pretty silly, as well as complicated.

By this time, there was the raccoon family, some of the rabbit family, and Skunk. PearBear heard a rustle over his head, and looked up . . . no, down . . . and saw Spotted Owl settle in the upper branches of Favorite Pear Tree.

"Humph. What's going on here?" Spotted Owl acted as though everyone was having a party and he hadn't been invited.

"We really have no idea," said Deer. "PearBear is acting very strangely."

"No surprise to me," said Owl. "I've always thought he acted very strangely. You folks know any other bear that wears a napkin tied around his neck?"

"Now, Spotted Owl," Cow said very gently. "You are not being kind. I remember once when you lost all your feathers, and…"

"Yes, yes, yes,"

Owl said hastily. He really didn't want to talk about that.

Spotted Owl jumped down to the large limb from which PearBear was hanging and pretending everything was just fine while he thought about what to do next.

Spotted Owl looked more closely at PearBear and then at the branches and said, "He's stuck up here. He can't get down. I wonder what ridiculous thing he has done to get himself into this pickle?"

"I think we had better think of how to get him down," said Cow. "We can ask how it happened later."

The Forest Folk agreed that helping PearBear out of his problem was the most important thing. But how?

"PearBear, are you feeling all right?" asked a rabbit.

"I'm hungry," PearBear answered. Even if he couldn't think of a way to explain why he was hanging head down in a tree in the first place, he knew that everyone would understand "hungry."

"What would you like?" Cow inquired. "A nice glass of warm milk might be good for you, but I don't think that you can swallow upside down. No, that won't do at all."

"An earthworm!" said Robin and Sparrow at the same time. "Full of protein! Excellent nutrition! Let's go find one."

"Or two," continued Robin. "PearBear is a large bear, and one won't do at all."

"I don't think he could swallow those, even standing up," said Raccoon. "Let alone upside down. Bleeecch!"

"Pears," said PearBear weakly. He was grateful to Robin and Sparrow for their concern, but earthworms were not his idea of a tasty snack, either.

Deer offered to run to PearBear's den and bring back a basket of ripe pears that just everyone knew were always there, ready to eat.

"Please," said PearBear. He thought he could always swallow a sweet, ripe Anjou pear, up or down.

Deer ran to bring back the pears and Fox trotted up to see what all the excitement was about, and they explained that they were trying to think of a way to get PearBear unstuck from the tree branches.

"We could all shake the tree together," one of the raccoon family suggested.

They all formed a ring around Favorite Pear Tree and tried to shake it. A few pear blossoms fell to the ground, but not PearBear. The tree was very old, and very large and strong.

Fox suggested, "Perhaps Cow could go and get Farmer and his chain saw and cut the branch."

"No chain saws! No chain saws! I HATE chain saws!" screeched Spotted Owl.

"Many of us can climb trees," suggested Possum. "If we all sat on the same branch as PearBear, maybe the limb would bend enough to loosen him, and he could climb down."

That seemed to be a good plan to most, but Cow said, "I can't climb trees, but I want to help. Cows are very strong. Perhaps if PearBear were to hold onto my tail and I pulled while you are all weighing down the branch, that might do the trick."

"What do you think, PearBear?" Spotted Owl asked.

"I think I want down from here, and I think I am hungry, and I think this is the last tree I climb for a very, very long time."

His friends took that to mean yes, so, one by one, all the Forest Folk that could fly or climb trees made their way to the branch that held PearBear captive. Even Fox, who didn't climb trees very often but knew how, scampered up the tree. Soon, there were at least twenty of PearBear's friends sitting next to him. Except for Possum, who had curled his tail around the branch, and was hanging head down just like PearBear. Possum always slept that way, but when he thought about it, he felt PearBear might think he was making fun of him, so he scrambled back on the branch with the others. The large limb creaked a little, but not enough to free the bear.

"OK," said Cow. "Grab my tail, and I will pull very hard."

PearBear took hold of her tail, and Cow said, "One! Two! Threeeeee!" and pulled with all her might.

The branch and the old tree creaked and groaned, and finally, with a loud snap, the branch broke. The limb, PearBear, and all of the other animals and birds tumbled to the ground in a jumble of fur and feathers, with PearBear on the very bottom.

They sorted themselves out, making sure that no one was hurt, and helped PearBear to his feet. He was a little dizzy from hanging head down for so long. He felt awfully sorry about having a limb broken on Favorite Pear Tree, but everyone agreed that trees needed to be pruned now and then so they could grow new and more healthy branches.

"Tell us what happened," Rabbit said.

"Why did you climb up there in the first place?" Fox wanted to know.

"What in the name of common sense made you want to hang head down," Spotted Owl huffed, shaking his ruffled feathers into place.

"It's very hard to explain," answered PearBear. "I'll have to sort it all out myself. But I truly appreciate the help from everyone. Thank you very much!"

"That's what friends are for," said Cow, looking back at her tail, which she thought was probably going to be pretty sore for a while.

Deer had returned with a basket of pears hanging from his antlers. "Please share the pears," PearBear said, taking one himself to tide him over until he reached home.

"I think I'll run along home to supper now," PearBear sighed, and then said thoughtfully, "Bats are bats, and bears are bears."

"Bears are bats, if you ask me," said Spotted Owl.

"Now, now," murmured Cow. But she secretly wondered if they would ever find out just what happened.