Tuesday Storytime: Teddies and Bears

I love that teddy bears exist.  I especially love that we have picture books about actual wild bears, about "real" bears who act in anthropomorphic or unnatural ways, and even books about stuffed teddy bears!  I picked a set today that focused on "real" bears, across a spectrum of natural to fantastical situations.

My Friend Bear
Jez Alborough
ISBN: 0763605832
This sequel to Where's My Teddy? showcases the joy of making a new friend.

Eddie (a little boy) and his teddy bear (named Freddie) are walking in the woods where they encountered the bear from Where's My Teddy? when they come across the giant teddy once more.  This time tho, Eddie finds out that the bear is lonely and friendless too, and after a bit of a mix-up involving a talking teddy bear, the two spend a day becoming fast friends.  Great rhyming cadence, lovely word-play, and cute lighthearted illustrations.


Bear is Not Tired
Ciara Gavin
ISBN: 9780385754767
Sequel to Room For Bear (super cute about chosen families) talks about the fear of missing out.

Winter is coming, and for most of the Duck family, that's no big deal.  But not for Bear.  He has to hibernate, and he is really unhappy about being asleep while everyone else is up, and missing all the fun and getting left out!  This not-so-subtle comparison to early bedtimes and naps is actually handled really sweetly and with cute illustrations of Bear getting more and more tired, until "every sound was a lullaby" and "nothing made sense anymore." The solution that Mama Duck comes up with to welcome Bear back to the waking world in the spring is cute and sure to resonate with little ones who are SURE they've missed something.


Every Autumn Comes the Bear
Jim Arnosky
ISBN: 0399225080
Oversized, fall-off-the-pages dark and visceral paintings are a bit scary, but the story is calm and measured.

Arnosky doesn't shy away from a scary picture, and there are a few here, not least of which is the cover.  A VERY large, black, hairy-scary bear is so big that all you can see are clawed feet and the tip of a nose, and a BIG black furry shadow looming over the whole book.  Inside is equally realistic.  A sere fall-winter landscape is cold contrast to this looming black presence, with a bright red mouth and tongue, and sharp white teeth and claws.  Despite the intense illustrations, the story is calm and matter of fact, with few words and not really any emotional resonance: the bear simply comes, notices things, does a few things, and finds a den to sleep away the winter in.  It's a very interesting dichotomy, and I think the dark and powerful images made quite a few of the parents uncomfortable, but the kids loved it.