When Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury's family go on a bear hunt, they are full of the bravado and confidence that the knowledge of failure brings: We're going on a bear hunt, We're going to catch a big one. What a beautiful day! We're not scared. Caves, mud, rivers, forest … whatever obstacles the family encounters, they overcome with reassuring ease. But when their quest is successful, they decide bear hunts are not to be repeated.