The Teddy Bear

"Once upon a time," I had no use for children's literature. Then I had children. Now I am fascinated by the genre and the humanizing influence it can have on children and "grown-ups" alike. There are few writers in the business who can match McPhail's artistry. There are many silly, fun and entertaining children's books on the market-my favorites include "Don't Let the Pidgeon Drive the Bus," and "Click,Clack,Moo Cows that Type"- however,very few children's books can rival McPhail's enlightened and didactic treasures. "The Teddy Bear" contains some invaluable lessons for any person who aspires to become more fully human. On a family trip a little boy accidently leaves his beloved teddy bear behind in a diner. By the time the parents take him back to retrive his best friend the bear has been thrown away. Anthropomorphizing the bear, the author poignantly describes the toy's despair. The bear is found by a "bearded man" (a homeless bum) who quickly befriends the toy. Out on the streets the two become inspeparable companions and as much as the bear missed his little boy he "...still felt loved." Meanwhile, back in the warmth and security of his home, the boy learns to live without his most precious possession because, "He had new toys to occupy him and new friends to keep him busy." The lessons learned in overcoming grief, loss, and the true meaning of love (i.e. sacrifice) are brought home at the end of this moving tale when the boy is finally reunited with his teddy bear. I won't give away the ending of this masterfully illustrated and poignant tale except to say that I sent a copy to school with my four-year-old and his teacher confided in me afterwards that she had to fight back her tears when she read the ending to the class. This book is without a doubt one of the greatest treasures available in the entire genre of children's literature. Other McPhail classics include, "Emma's Pet," "Edward and the Pirates," and "Piggy's Pancake Parlor." These books are a must for all parents who truly want to delight and instruct their children.

This book is about a little boy who loves his teddy bear very much. He takes him everywhere he goes. One day he leaves the bear behind on accident at a restaurant. The owners toss the bear in the trash where the bear is found by a homeless man. The little boy is very sad but over time replaces the bear with other toys. The bear has made the homeless man very happy. One day the man lays the bear on a bench and the little boy just happens to walk by and thee the bear! He's glad to see him and pick him up to take home with him. The homeless man is upset and start to make a big scene looking for the bear. The little boy is filled with compassion for the homeless man and returns the bear. The book has a great theme of love and compassion. The book can be used to spark lots of great discussions!

I love this book and think it's a great lesson in compassion that not just kids need to hear. All kids need to be encouraged to be kind and compassionate to everyone they meet much more than they need to be taught to fear strangers as so many books encourage. Be careful,be smart but also be kind, understanding and compassionate. If these are values that you hope for your child to have I would recommend reading them this book and reading it often. The story is great, not to long or to short the pictures are nice the size of the book is easy to handle and you feel all warm and fuzzy when your done reading it. What more can you ask for in a good kids book.

This book is wonderful. The boy loses his teddy bear and a homeless man finds it. I have used this book to try to explain to my son that there are alot of people who have nothing. He is starting to understand that the boy gave up the bear to the homeless man at the end because the boy realized he had so much more than the man. Now my son wants to give his bear to someone who has less.

After reading THE TEDDY BEAR aloud to groups of second graders, I felt compelled to share this wonderful book with others. It's a heartwarming tale of friendship and compassion that children can easily relate to. It brought tears to many eyes. Children and adults will both benefit from reading this book. David McPhail's illustrations are brilliant.