The Bear and the Gardener in this case keeping the flies off a friend, and the ultimate good of safeguarding his welfare. The story gained currency in England from the 18th century on through translations or imitations of La Fontaine. One of its earliest appearances was in Robert Dodsley's "Select fables of Esop and other fabulists" (1764), where it is given the title "The Hermit and the Bear" and a milder ending. In this version a hermit has done the bear a good turn; later still this was identified with taking a thorn from its paw, drawing on the story of Androcles and the Lion.
Varjak Paw as director. Varjak Paw Varjak Paw (2003) is a novel by the British author S. F. Said and illustrated by Dave McKean. The illustrations in this book have a dark "gothic" quality. The novel received the 2003 Smarties Gold Award for the 6–8 years range, and has been adapted for other media. Varjak Paw is a small Mesopotamian blue cat who lives with his family in the Contessa's house. Varjak has a brother called Julius, is always making fun of him. Because he has amber eyes instead of green eyes such as the rest of his family. When a large