Overview

Mr. Bear thinks that he needs to take Edith ("The Lonely Doll") and Little Bear away from their beloved New York City to escape the dirty air and streets. But Edith and Little Bear don't want to move to the country, so they take up the cause of cleaning up the city. They carry signs protesting the city's dirty condition as they march in front of City Hall. Later, they find themselves on the evening television news, much to the shagrin of Mr. Bear. But even with their publicity, the protest does not seem to draw the attention of the city's Mayor. So Edith and Little Bear write a letter and send it directly to the Mayor. And the Mayor sends a letter back, urging Edith and Little Bear to do a little bit every day to clean up the city themselves, and to keep watch for any polluters. Edith and Little Bear follow the Mayor's advice, and they begin to clean up their neighborhood themselves. They even report a nearby building's very dirty plume of smoke rising from a chimney. Mr. Bear, seeing how much Edith and Little Bear care for their home and their streets, happily decides they can remain in their home in the city.