The beginner's guide to bears by Gillian Shields and Sebastien Braun

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Orchard Books, 2008. ISBN 9781846161032
(Age 3-5) Who can resist a teddy bear? This charming story gives the reader lots of information about bears. It describes what to look for in a bear ('soft, gentle, cuddly and warm'), what bears like, (playing games, toys and making lots of noise) and what they want when they don't feel well. At bedtime bears need a 'cuddly toy and a special blanket'. The book concludes with a mirror that the reader can look into with a favourite bear.

Beautifully illustrated by Sebastien Braun, this story has pictures of all sorts of bears, each with delightful individual faces and playing everyday games.
Beginning and rounding off the story is an appealing little poem:

You need a bear
And a bear needs you.
You and a bear
Together makes two.

The gentle rhymes and short text make this story a good read aloud for the young child and will help an older child predict the story.

Pat Pledger

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