Starving after a harsh winter, the bears descend from the mountains in search of food and invade the valley below, where they face fierce opposition from the army of the Grand Duke of Sicily. After many battles, scrapes and dangers, the bears' reign is established over the land, but their victory comes at a price: having lost their innocence, they abandon themselves to a life of sin and debauchery.
At once a timeless fable and a philosophical allegory, Buzzati's famous children's story - here presented with additional reader's resources by Lemony Snicket and the author's own iconic original illustrations - is a triumph of poetical imagination and a cautionary tale against human excess.
