Teddy bear books
Last week we went to a teddy bear’s picnic with the local twins club. Luckily the rain held off and all the teddys and twins had a lovely day. It encouraged me to dig out a few old favourite teddy themed books.
Teddy Bears Picnic by Mark Burgess
These stories are lovely with sweet illustrations of the teddies doing every day things and is suitable for 2-4 year olds. Teddy Bear’s Picnic has fold out flaps which have a different song or nursery rhyme.
Teddy Time by Mark Burgess
One Little Bear is a counting book where you can count the teddies and everything else on each page. I could recite Teddy Time by heart. It tells a simple story of planning a party with a clock to tell the time.
2-4 year olds
Where’s my teddy by Jez Alborough
A classic book, which is very funny and entertaining. You can read it many times and it retains it’s charm. The only problem is the rhythm and rhyme are so strong it keeps running through your head. I was given a copy of the second book, My Friend Bear, this week and it is equally fabulous. It’s a little bit more sentimental with a happy resolution, that finishes the story nicely.
1-5 year olds
We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen
I had to include this classic story. The best thing to do at a teddy bear’s picnic is to hunt for bear’s. The story is simple and lends itself to the children joining in. I watched Michael Rosen read it a few too many times on Youtube with my class, and can now only hear his voice when I read it.
Also go and see the stage version if you get chance. I couldn’t work out how they would turn a book which takes 5 minutes to read into a play but it was excellent. The poem has been beautifully turned into a song, which I was singing for days afterwards. Watch out though – you will get wet.
If you get chance to see the stage production then definitely go as it’s amazing, though watch out you will get wet!
1-5 year olds
That’s Not My Teddy – from Usborne books
Finally, one for slightly younger children. This was the first of the series we bought. They are bright and bold colours with lots of different textures. Although, they are for younger readers the repeated phrases means older children can read it to their younger siblings
0-2 year olds