I’m looking for a children’s book early 1980s (or possibly very late 70s).  The main character was a young bear who had bionic shoes – Bruce the Bionic Bear?  He looked like one of the Berenstain bears, but I can’t seem to track him down that way.  When he put his shoes on, he could leap across streams and there was a big rainbow illustrated somewhere in it too.

This was a library book I read in elementary school in the early 1970’s, so I am guessing the book was likely published sometime in the 60’s.  To the best of my memory, it involved a brother and sister in South America who somehow offended the sun (it could have been the moon, but I am pretty sure it was the sun) and the sun came right out of the sky and rolled after them, chasing them up and down hills.  I remember the sun being quite scary and it having a mouth that was illustrated very similar to a zipper on clothing.  Any help you could provide would be much appreciated.

1980s children’s picture book I loved as a boy. It had wonderful, intricate illustrations of a miniature world (possibly in a tree?), where little humanoid creatures lived. I’m fairly certain there were certain sci-fi elements to it, and possibly some conflict between differently-colored factions. The illustrations included cutaways of tunnels and little cities etc. There may also have been bears with technology (rocket suits?), but that might be mixing up with another book. I’d love for someone to help – I’m a children’s book illustrator now and this was an early influence and inspiration for me.

Thank you!