Our New Puzzle

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, Grandpa James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.  Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful! Oh. Wait! Frankie lives with us, too. He's our cousin, you know.

We got a present from Nana Elizabeth. It's a puzzle. It's a puzzle about O Canada. We take out all the puzzle pieces and then put them together so we can see our home and native land. Puzzles are fun. We start with British Columbia. I know where British Columbia is. It's the first one on the left.

Look! Look at Chance! He's so newborn he doesn't know how to play with a puzzle. He's trying to eat Quebec! "My son! You can't eat Quebec! Quebec is not one of the four food groups! Put that down this instant!" Chance really is a handful. Frankie knows how to play with puzzles. He doesn't try to eat the provinces. Frankie's four. He's very smart.

We love our new puzzle. Grandpa James helps us write a thank-you note to Nana Elizabeth for the O Canada puzzle. Won't she be surprised when she opens the letter and sees pictures of us playing with it, too. We love Nana Elizabeth lots and lots and lots!

Did you hear that? Grandpa James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! Grandpa James says, "Where's Frankie? Where's my Knight of Knewfoundland and my Lord of Labrador?" We gotta go find Grandpa James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed.

 This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Learn about O Canada. Then you can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play puzzles with us! We can have a puzzle party with hummus and pretzels and apple juice, too! Okay! Over and out!"

Today is Family Day

Chance  (left) and Frankie (centre) and me (Charles) love to play Snakes and Ladders.

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, Grandpa James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

 Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful! Oh. Wait! Frankie lives with us, too!

Know what? Today is a holiday. It's Family Day. I know what a family is. It's us! Our family is me and Chance and Frankie and Grandpa James. We all live together in a nice house on Sparkle Road. That's in Olde Sandwich Towne. Olde Sandwich Towne is in Windsor. I know where Windsor is. Windsor is in O Canada.

We got aunties and uncles and nanas and gramps, too!

I don't have to go to the Scruffy Maple Day Care Centre today. We get to stay home and play! We play Snakes & Ladders. Frankie rolled a five. He's gonna move his marker five spaces. I help him count to five. That's easy! One! Two! Three! Four! Five! I have to help Chance count and move his marker for him. Chance is so newborn he tries to lick his yellow marker. I have to say, "My son! Take that out of your mouth! You can't eat yellow markers, my son! Yellow markers aren't in Canada's Food Guide."

Know what's in Canada's Food Guide? Gingerbread persons. We're gonna bake some gingerbread persons today.  I love to bake them. I love to eat them, too! I'm a very good cook. Grandpa James says I'm the Minister of Stirring. Chance is too newborn to help but he thinks he's helping. Grandpa James says Chance is the Deputy Mini-Stir of Stirring. Frankie is a good helper. Frankie is the Bearon of Baking, you know.

 Chance has red mittens. He wears them his red mittens all day long. He wears his red mittens at night when he sleeps, too. Chance is so newborn he thinks if he wears red mittens it will snow. I have red mittens, you know. I only wear my  mittens when I go outside to play in the snow. Frankie has red mittens, too.

Sometimes Chance gets his games mixed up. Look at Chance. Chance climbed into the Snakes and Ladders box. Chance wants to play Hide & Seek. Chance thinks we can't see him when he closes his eyes. Grandpa James says all newborn cubs think they're invisible when they close their eyes. I have to say, "My son! Come out of the Snakes & Ladders box this instance!" Chance can't get out. He makes little squawky noises. I have to help him. Chance is a handful.

We bake gingerbread persons on Family Day. We love to make gingerbread persons but it's more fun to eat them all up! Gingerbread persons are yummy and that's one of the four food groups in Canada's Food Guide.

 Did you hear that?  Grandpa James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario?" That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! Oh, wait! Grandpa James is hollering for Frankie, too! "Where's Frankie? Where's my Knight of Knewfoundland and my Lord of Labrador?"

We gotta go find Grandpa James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed. This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Do fun stuff with your family today. Then you can bake gingerbread persons and have a tea party and eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can play Snakes & Ladders! We can have a tea party, too! Okay! Over and out!"

Cubcert! Charles and Chance Sing at Children's Fest

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

 Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful!

Look at Chance and me! We're on stage at Children's Fest! We have a job to do. Our job is important. Our job is to sing for the boys and girls. We know lots of songs. We're gonna sing O Canada. Then we will sing We Love Windsor and the Itsy-bitsy Spider/La toute petite arraignee. Then we're gonna sing B-I-N-G-O and The Smarties Song and  Frere Jacques and All Around the Circle and Rubber Ducky and He's Got the Whole World in His Hands. We sing our songs in French, too.

Miss Cyn and me and Grandpa James are singing.

Oh! Wait! We're gonna sing The Purple Maple Syrple Song, too! When I was a newborn cubby I couldn't say syrup. Grandpa James says I called it syrple. Now I am five. I can say syrup but I say 'syrple' just for fun.

The boys and girls come up on stage to help us sing. We have lots of fun. We have cymbals and tambourines and a big washtub drum, too!

We sing O Canada. Our Member of Parliament gave us little Canada flags. Thank you, Mr. Comaratin! Cousin Boo holds Chance. He's too newborn to know how to sing but he knows O Canada is an important song 'cuz everyone stands up when we sing it.

Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? Grandpa James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find Grandpa James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed.

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Be kind to neighbours and friends. Then you can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can sing songs! Okay! Over and out!"

The Big Adventure Continues: Charles and Chance Visit Signal Hill and the Cabot Tower

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, Grandpa James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. He's so newborn he doesn't even have any teeth or a tail! He just drinks chocolate owls' milk from his bottle. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful!

Know what? Chance and me and our cousin Frankie are on Signal Hill. That's in St. John's. St. John's is in Newfoundland and Labrador, too.  We all know where Newfoundland is. It's in O Canada. That's the first province on the right. I learn about our country from my teacher at the Scruffy Maple Day Care Centre.

Signal Hill is an important place. Cabot Tower is on top of the hill. It's a really tall fort and a lookout. Know what? Signal Hill and the Cabot Tower would be a great place to play fort. We could get binoculars. We could watch out for pirates and enemy ships and spies and terrorists. Chance can hold the Canada flag and we can holler, "On guard!" and "Ahoy! Keep your enemy ship away from Canadian waters!" Yeah! That would be fun. When we get hungry we could eat Smarties and salted capelin. We could drink pineapple Crush, you know.

Cabot Tower is on a Newfoundland stamp.

Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? Grandpa James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find Grandpa James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed.

This is what St. John's harbour looks like from the top of Signal Hill.

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Be kind to friends and neighbours. Then you can eat Smarties and salted capelin and drink pineapple Crush. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can play on Signal Hill together! Okay! Over and out!"

The Big Adventure: Charles and Chance Ride to Halifax on VIA Rail

Chance and me visit Miss Johanne. She has an important job. She's the boss of the snacks. She keeps us from being hungry and thirsty when we ride VIA Rail.

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with Grandpa James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

 Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. He's so newborn he doesn't even have teeth or a tail, yet! He just drinks chocolate owls' milk, you know. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful!

Know what? We're going on an adventure. We're going on holidays. First we're going to Halifax. I know where Halifax is. It's in Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia is in O Canada. It's the second province on the right. See? It's next door to Newfoundland, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. We're going to visit them all but first we have to climb on board the train and get there. This is fun!

We get to ride on VIA Rail to Halifax. First we take the train from our house in Windsor to Montreal. Then we say good-bye to Train 72 and climb on board The Ocean. That's Train Number 14. The blue line is how we get to Halifax from Montreal.

 Know what? The train travels all night! We get to stay up late and look out the windows! I l-o-v-e to look out the windows, don't you? The train goes very fast, you know.

When we get tired of looking out the windows we can read the newspaper. I can read, you know.  I'm five and I go to the Scruffy Maple Day Care Centre.

We can see Moncton! That's 'cuz we're way up high in the Observation Car.

 The Ocean has a special Observation Car with lots of glass windows so we can see everything! The passengers have a special lounge, too. They have fruit in bowls. Chance likes oranges but not to eat. He likes to roll them on the floor and make little squeaky noises 'cuz he's happy. I have to watch him so he doesn't play with the oranges. He's a handful, you know.

The Business Class Lounge is a nice place on Train 14.

Oh! Look! Here's Moncton. Moncton is in New Brunswick. It's a nice city and the people are very friendly. They say, "Hello!" and "Bonjour!" The good citizens of Moncton are bilingual, just like me!  I know what bilingual means. It means French and English but sometimes it means francais et anglais.

Vincent is the Service Manager on the Ocean train to Halifax.

This is our buddy, Vincent. He has an important job on The Ocean. Vincent is the service manager. He's a good person to know. He knows the answers to all of the questions. Passengers ask lots of questions. Vincent is the smartest and helpfulest  person if you have questions. Good thing I got lots of questions!

Ryan and Daphne take good care of Chance and me on the train. They're as nice as Smarties but we don't eat our buddies.

Oh, wait! Here's our buddies Daphne and Ryan. They are very important. They are Senior Service Attendants. I know what that means. It means they help us. They bring us blankets and little pillows. I could be a Senior Service Attendant when I grow up. I could wear a uniform and help passengers to have a nice trip.

Oh! Look! I'm driving the train. Chance is too little to help but he likes to watch.

Guess what? Chance and me are in the engine car with Dexter and Garnet. They are the engineers. They drive the train to Halifax. That's an important job, you know. We can't go anywhere without their help. I'm sorry the pictures didn't turn out but Dexter and Garnet are very nice. I could be an engineer at VIA Rail when I grow up, you know.

The Ocean is a great big 'ole train. I l-o-v-e to ride the Ocean. All aboard!

Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed.

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Be kind to friends and neighbours.  Then you can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can ride to Halifax on the train together! Okay! Over and out!"

Thanksgiving Day

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know. He must be more than a hundred years old!

We live in Olde Sandwich Towne. That's in Windsor. I know where Windsor is. It's in O Canada.  Windsor is the centre of the known universe and the nicest part of Detroit. I learned that at the Scruffy Maple Day Care Centre. Know what? We can look out the window and see Detroit.



Detroit is next door but it isn't in O Canada. It's in the Knighted States. They are nice neighbours but they have a different boss. Queen Elizabeth is our boss.

She's a very good queen, you know. I'll share my Smarties with her when she comes to our house. We'll climb the sugar maple in the back yard and I'll say, "Your Majesty, hold out your hand and say 'Please' and I'll share my Smarties with you. Oh. Wait! Your Majesty, don't forget to eat the red ones last!" It's a rule, you know.

 Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing.  Know what? Chance doesn't have any teeth, yet. He just drinks chocolate owls' milk in a bottle. Chance takes off his diaper and climbs way high on things and then he can't get down. I have to say, "My son! Come down from there this instant!. He makes little squawky noises 'cuz he's scared. I have to help him get down.  He's a handful!

Know what today is? Today is super special 'cuz it's Thanksgiving Day.  We get to eat Thanksgiving dinner. It's a special dinner for a special day. Thanksgiving is everywhere! Juanita and Glen have Thanksgiving in Newfoundland. Margaret and Reid have Thanksgiving in Nova Scotia. Andres has Thanksgiving in Prince Edward Island. Francois and Maria have Jour de l'Action de Grace in Quebec. Elizabeth has Thanksgiving up in Tranna. Lois has Thanksgiving in Alberta, too! Bonnie and Terry have Thanksgiving in British Columbia. We're all thankful. Thanksgiving is everywhere! It's really big! This is the day we are thankful. James says we should be thankful every day. Before we eat James asks us to say what we're thankful for.

Okay. I'm thinking about all the things I can be thankful for. I'm thankful we get to eat pumpkin pie today.I l-o-v-e pumpkin pie. It's yummy and that's one of the four food groups in Canada's Food Guide. Chance and I helped make the pie. We get to stir. James says I'm the Minister of Stirring. Chance is the Deputy Mini-Stir. We get to lick the spoons. I like to stir things, don't you?

I gotta lotta things to be thankful for. I'm thankful for our family. I'm thankful for James and Chance and Uncle D and Auntie A and Lily and Lulu. Some bear cubs don't have any family at all.  I'm thankful for all my friends and buddies. I'm thankful for porridge and Smarties and gummy worms and all the good foods except broccolis and saurkrauts. I hate them. They're nasty and that's one of the four food groups in Canada's Food Guide, you know.

I'm thankful for the Scruffy Maple Day Care Centre and Miss Jackie who used to be my teacher but she sailed away to Halifax and my new teacher Miss Sephorah. I think Miss Sephorah is a princess.  I'm thankful for my blue bike with the Canada flag on it and my Ninja Turtle toothbrush and my Cat-in-the-Hat sox that make me run faster than anyone. I'm thankful for the sugar maple tree and my space ray gun. That fills up the whole paper. That's a lot of thankful!

 Know what else I'm thankful for? Turkey. We got turkey with stuffing. I l-o-v-e turkey and stuffing. The stuffing has Smarties in it. It's really, really yummy.

Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed.

 This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Be thankful today 'cuz it's Thanksgiving Day. Be thankful every day! Then you can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait!  We can eat pumpkin pie, too! Come over to our house and play with us! We can be thankful together! Okay! Over and out!"

Stompin' Tom Connors and Us

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

Chance and me are hanging out at the Heinz store in Leamington. I know where Leamington is. It's out in the county. Essex County is in Ontario and Ontario is in O Canada our home and native land.

We're having fun with our buddy Dennis. Dennis is in charge of the stories about ketchup. That's a pretty important job, you know.  I l-o-v-e ketchup, don't you? I love stories about ketchup. Dennis tells the bestest stories.

People make lots of ketchup in Leamington. They make Heinz ketchup. There are no other kinds once you've tasted Heinz. it's the biggest ketchup factory in the world. It's pretty big.

Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful! Chance likes ketchup, too. Chance doesn't have any teeth 'cuz he's so newborn. He just drinks condensed owl's milk out of his bottle. He tries to drink ketchup. He's a silly little cubby. He doesn't know any better.

Know what? Chance and me know a song about ketchup. Stompin' Tom wrote it. Miss Jackie taught us to sing The Ketchup Song at the Scruffy Maple Day Care Centre. She has a beautiful voice. I think Miss Jackie might be a princess, you know.

Here's The Ketchup Song. When we sing it we pretend we're Stompin' Tom only we call ourselves Stompin' Charles and Stompin' Chance.

There was a guy from PEI they used to call potato,
He met this young Leamington, Ontario tomato, 
But he had eyes for other girls and she was a little mushy,
 So he said, "Lets get wed, there's no sense being fussy."

Big size french fries how they love tomatoes
So dress them up with Heinz ketchup
Ketchup loves potatoes, Ketchup loves potatoes.
Well he went down to Windsor town to buy a ring on Monday
Saturday they said okay we'll cut the cake on Sunday
But Sunday came and what a shame
they had no one to fetch it
Without a cake they just sat and ate potato chips and ketchup

Big size french fries how they love tomatoes
So dress them up with Heinz ketchup
Ketchup loves potatoes, Ketchup loves potatoes

And so this guy form PEI they used to call potato
He's got two boys and a little girl, two spuds and one tomato
They romp and run around Leamington and boy when they get hungry
The bottle drips all over the chips way down in Ketchup country

Big size french fries how they love tomatoes
So dress them up with Heinz ketchup
Ketchup loves potatoes, Ketchup loves potatoes

 Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed. 

 This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Eat French fries with Heinz ketchup on top.  Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can have a party with ketchup and French fries! Okay! Over and out!"

Kensington Cornerstore Restaurant

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know. He remembers the invention of Saran Wrap. He must be at least 20! That's really, old.

Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful!

Know what? We're  at the Kensington Corner Restaurant. It has a gluten-free menu. It's in Toronto the Good. Toronto the Good is the capital of Ontario and Ontario is in O Canada, our home and native land. Miss Jackie teaches us geographree at the Scruffy Maple Day Care Centre.

Today we get to eat outside on the terrace. Chance and me get to drink juice and eat fresh strawberries. Strawberries are yummy and that's one of the four food groups in the Canada Food Guide. Strawberries have seeds on the outside. They're really little, like Chance. Miss Ashleigh is the nice lady who brings our juice. She loves bear cubs. She has one at home. Miss Ashleigh kisses our noses and tickles our ears.

Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Who wants to shop in Kensington Market? Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We wanna shop in Kensington Market. We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario!

We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed. This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Mind your manners, Be on your best behaviour.  Then you can eat strawberries and drink juice. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house! We can eat strawberries together! Okay! Over and out!"

House of India

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know. He's so old he remembers the first rainbow! He must be at least 20! That's old, you know.

Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful!

Know what? Reid and Margaret and JJ came to visit us from Farewell Nova Scotia, thy Sea-bound Coast. I know where Farewell Nova Scotia is. It's down East. Farewell Nova Scotia is in O Canada, our home and native land. We got lots of hugs when they came to our house.

We got to ride in the car. I l-o-v-e riding in the car, don't you? We sat in the back seat with Margaret. I was on my best behaviour. So was Chance. He didn't pull off his diaper or climb on anything. He was being really good! We all went downtown to the House of India for lunch.

I l-o-v-e Indian food, don't  you? Samir was the nice server who brought us all the food. Miss JJ helped cut up our food for us. We ate dahl and pikoras and bhajis and palak paneer and naan and all kinds of yummy foods that are in the Canada Food Guide. Oh! Wait! You know the best part? We got to eat julab jamun for dessert! Chance just drank condensed owls' milk out of his bottle. He doesn't have any teeth, but he licked the pikoras. I don't think that's good manners but Chance is a newborn cubby, so he doesn't know any better. I don't think newborn cubbies have germs, do they?

After lunch Margaret and Reid and JJ had to leave us. We got lots more hugs when they said, 'Good-bye'. They have a long trip to make. It must take at least two days to get to Farewell Nova Scotia from Windsor. I wonder why they have to live so far away? James says Windsor is the centre of the known universe and the nicest part of Detroit. He should know. He's old and wise.

I know a song about Farewell Nova Scotia. Miss Jackie taught it to me at the Scruffy Maple Day Care Centre. The song goes like this-

Farewell Nova Scotia,
The sea-bound coast,
Let your mountains dark and dreary be,
For when I am far away,
On your briny ocean tossed,
Will you ever heave a sigh,
Or a wish for me.
 
Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? Margaret is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find Margaret and Reid and JJ so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed and say 'good-bye' to them.

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Mind your manners and you can come to House of India and eat yummy food with us. Okay! Over and out!"

All Around the Circle

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know. He says he's older than dirt. That must be really old--at least 20 years!  Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful!

Know what? I'm holding Chance on my lap. He likes to sit on my lap 'cuz when he sits here I tell him stories and sing songs to him. I'm a good story teller. James says so. When Chance is on my lap he doesn't climb things and get into trouble. Yesterday he climbed to the top of the curtains and he couldn't get down. He made little squawky noises 'cuz he was afraid. I have to say, "My son, come down from there, right now!" Then I help him get down from there.

Chance has a favourite story. He likes me to tell him about The Little Brown Bear and the Three People. He makes little squeaky noises when I tell him that story. That's 'cuz he's happy. He has a favourite song, too. It's All Around the Circle. 

I's the b'y that builds the boat,
And I's the b'y that sails her,
I's the b'y that catches the fish,
And brings them home to Liza.

Chorus:
Hip yer partner, Sally Tibbo,
Hip yer partner, Sally Brown,
Fogo, Twillingate, Moreton's Harbour,
All around the circle!

 Chance claps his paws and makes little squeaky noises when we sing All Around the Circle. He likes the song a lot. Miss Jackie sings it to us at the Scruffy Maple Day Care Centre. She says it's a Newfoundland song. I know where Newfoundland is. It's in O Canada, our home and native land.

James says it's nice that Chance and me play together and don't fight. That makes me a good citizen, you know. We laugh and laugh and laugh when we play.  Know what? Singing makes us hungry. Chance doesn't have any teeth--he just drinks condensed owls' milk out of his bottle. I'm eating  gummy worm soup for lunch and for dessert I get to eat wallermellon. I l-o-v-e wallermelon. It's yummy and that's one of the four food groups in the Canada Food Guide.

Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Who's as hungry as a bear? Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're as hungry as bears. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed. We're gonna eat soup and wallermelon, too!

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Play nice. Then you can eat gummy worm soup and wallermelon, too. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can play nice together and sing All Around the Circle! Okay! Over and out!"