Clever additional verses make this classic song splendidly unique. With soft watercolors, Trapani depicts a cuddly bear family and pet pup on a boat excursion. They start off leisurely in bright sunshine but soon encounter fallen oars, rapids, and a beaver dam. Stopping for a picnic lunch, they enjoy their meal with all of the forest animals who are "Chomping, snacking, slurping, smacking/What a noisy bunch!" Returning to the boat, they run into bad weather and hurry back to shore. "Raining, hailing, wind is wailing/Hear the thunder roar!" Children will enjoy the rhyming, alliterative language energized by strings of gerunds. Every original verse perfectly matches the traditional melody, and each picture illustrates the action with warmth, excitement, and humor. The music with all of th everses is printed on the last page. Trapani has transformed a simple little song into a delightful adventure.