The first children’s book I can distinctly remember is Corduroy by Don Freeman. Caroline, the girl next door, read it to me while she babysat one afternoon. I don’t know if she took it out of the library, or if she owned it, but I remember her patiently reading the words and sharing the pictures with me. A lost bear who wants a loving home, a girl who needs a friend, and a quest for a missing button…such a simple story, but there is a reason why children still read it over 50 years after it was first published.
Of course, like many parents before me, as soon as I had a child I purchased a copy and read it to her. As you can see by the well worn cover, she liked it too.
Good stories stand the test of time, and stories about bears and the tiny humans that love them are timeless.
Here are a few other books about bears and friendship.
Where’s My Teddy by Jez Alborough is another classic book about teddy bear love that’s been around for a while, though not as long as Corduroy. The twist is that an actual real life bear has a teddy too. Both bear and boy have lost their respective teddy bear friends in the forest. Perceptive readers will guess what happened, but will these teddies be reunited with their proper owners?
Otto The Book Bear by Katie Cleminson is similar to Corduroy in that a bear gets lost and needs to find a warm and safe home. Otto is a bear who lives in a book and comes to life when children aren’t looking. He loves to explore his little world but is left behind in a move. He takes his bag and sets out to find a new place to live. After wandering the big, cold city, Otto finds the perfect place to call home and even meets other book creatures to share adventures with. A perfect read aloud about an unusual bear and the family you find, even when you are not looking for one. Another book that can be read over and over without getting tired of it.
Don’t forget about non-fiction. Finding Winnie by Lindsay Mattick and illustrated by Sophie Blackall, is the true story of a WWI soldier named Harry Colebourn who became friends with a bear cub he bought while serving in the army. There are several intertwining stories here. First, there is the author and narrator who is the great-great granddaughter of the soldier who is telling the story to her son Cole, who is named after him. There is Harry Colebourn’s relationship with Winnie, who has become the mascot for the regiment, and who keeps getting bigger as the war gets closer. He must make a difficult decision. He brings the bear to live at the London Zoo before being shipped off to the front. It is here that the next chapter of Winnie’s story begins. A young Christopher Robin meets Winnie and befriends her and inspires his father, A. A. Milne, to write one of the most famous bear friendship stories of all: Winnie the Pooh.
Lindsay Mattick brings all of these stories together effortlessly and with a warm and gentle touch. Meticulously researched and beautifully illustrated, it deserved the Caldecott Medal it won in 2016.
So grab a well-loved teddy or other soft friend, and make new friends with some book bears. Who knows which story will be cherished by the listener and remembered years and years from now, and shared with their own children.
