William is convinced there is a grizzly bear living in the place under the stairs - so convinced and so frightened that he begins to feed it. After a while, the smell becomes noticeable, and when mum goes to clean it, William shouts 'no' and then must explain why. Mum and William bravely confront the bear together and discover 'an old furry rug, a broken chair, no bear, no scare, and horrible stinky food everywhere'. A wonderfully simple story with a wealth of detail in the illustrations by this award winning author/illustrator. The bear of William's imaginings is both frightening and lovable at the same time.