My Friend Bear

Preschooler Books:
My Friend Bear, Jez Alborough

This is the third in a series of books about Eddy, his teddy Freddy, a very large bear and his teddy.

In the first Where's My Teddy?, Eddy find the bear's giant size teddy and the bear finds Eddy's Freddy. Confusion follows until they find the right bear again.

In the second It's the Bear?, Eddy's out with his mum and worried about the bear that lives in the woods. The bear arrives, eats their food and terrifies Eddy in the process.

Both of these books are fun and it's good that there is some tension in each - will the bear eat Eddy? Will all be OK?

However, I think the best of the three is this one - My Friend Bear. Eddy and the bear, who are both lonely, meet in the woods, overcome their fear of each other and become friends:

The bear lifted Eddy up for a hug,
hairy and beary, safe and snug.

"Take care," he said. "Look after Freddy!"
Well come back soon," whispered Eddy.

Then off they walked,
with a smile and a wave
Back to a house,
and back to a cave.
Do you think that they're lonely?
Not any more...

That's what having friends is for.

The illustrations are bold and full of expression. The rhyme is delightful and easy to read. And the stories are lovely. I would recommend getting all three books. You could use them to show how some things that seem scary really aren't, but you'll also enjoy them just because they are such fun.