Levi bear lived in Glacier National Park in Montana with his mother and siblings. Levi bear was just like any other bear.

He picked huckleberries with his mom on the mountainside.

He swam in the lake on the hot summer days.

He wrestled with his brother and sister.

But Levi bear wanted to go to school. Everyday he watched the little boys and girls ride the bus into the little town and he would see them play in the playground. Sometimes he would even sneak down and peak in the classrooms.

The little boys and girls always looked like they were having so much fun!

He wanted to play in the sand table and write on the big white boards with the magic markers that erased away with the soft black blocks.

He wanted to press the buttons on the little tablets and laugh like the boys would all in a group playing a game.

He wanted to sit at the computer and play the math games.

He wanted to stand up in a line and do the alphabet chant, complete a puzzle on the carpet with a friend and paint at the easel with red, yellow and brown!

On March 8th, the students from the East Glacier school went on a field trip to the Park to go snow-shoeing with the Rangers from the Park Service. The bears watched from the woods, peaking out behind the trees as the boys and girls ran around with the big rackets attached to their feet, learning about habitats, and animal tracks. They laughed and built snowmen, they tripped and fell over the big feet, and they ran around while they learned about the forest.

 

When the boys and girls left the bears explored the playground the kids had enjoyed! Levi’s sister Rachel found a small red glove lying in the snow.

“We must return it,” Levi said.

That night when there was a full moon out, Levi woke his sister and brother up. He whispered to them with his hand over his lips to follow him. When he told him his plan they said yeah lets get our friends. So they went to Levi’s sisters best friends cave and snuck her out and to his brother’s friends den and dug him out and together the six friends went to the school. When they got to the gate they were a little scared.

Sunshine, Levi’s sister’s friend said, “I’m not scared.” but she went and sat on the swing and started to pump her legs.

Soon they were all playing on the playground, climbing on the monkey bars, swooshing down the slide and bouncing up and down on the teeter- totter.

When they had laughed and played so hard they couldn’t breathe Levi snuck over to the window and peaked in the window. Soon all the bears were lined up along the window sill. Just then one of the windows swung open.

The bears climbed in the classroom slowly one at a time.

Summer and Levi’s sister Chelsea ran to the science table and started to play with the magnet set and examine the plants with the magnifying glass.

Levi and Robert bear went to the books and started turning pages. They couldn’t believe all the things they saw! Pigs flying in the air, dinosaurs hugging their human moms and dads, flowers growing out of peoples heads, small pirates in boats riding over giant waves! It was exciting! Levis brother and friend had built a giant block tower. Then suddenly it cam crashing down in a loud crash!!

The bears all jumped but then they all laughed. They laughed so hard they all fell over on the floor and Levi bear read them all a book. Then he pretended to be the teacher and pointed to all the numbers on the calendar. He went through the weather report and had them clap and count to 100 like he saw the boys and girls do during the day.

Soon the sun started to peak over the horizon. The bears thought we better get out of here! Rachel gently put the glove on a student’s desk.

They looked around the classroom one more time, and climbed out the window. Levi put an apple on the teachers desk before he crawled out behind the others. The bears quickly snuck back to their homes before either parents got up and crawled into their lairs falling fast asleep for the winter.

When the teacher and children came to school that day they scratched their heads as they looked around the room in wonder.

Picture Book Summit – Creating the Storyboard

Here’s where I started the storybook back in 2016. I would love to finish this project this summer. Of course everything in it’s own time. I just came up with the Montana Bear School video idea last year when I was teaching!

 

You can help get this project off the ground by supporting my kickstarter campaign here!