One Night in Beartown by Nick Jones and Si Clark

One Night in Beartown by Nick Jones and Si Clark
Buy One Night in Beartown by Nick Jones and Si Clark at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: For Sharing
Reviewer: Jill Murphy
Summary: Bear-illiant story of a little girl who loves bears who gets to go to a real teddy bears picnic and a class bully who gets a much deserved comeuppance. Thoroughly enjoyable with a great big heart.
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 32	Date: November 2020
Publisher: FullMedia
ISBN: B08NFH7H9X
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When bear-loving schoolgirl Sandy Lane has her beloved teddy bear confiscated at school, she dreads the thought of going a whole night without his cuddles. Little does she know that a bear-rilliant adventure awaits her, involving her teddy, a bear statue and numerous other magical friends!

Many children have an obsession and Sandy Lane, who lives in Beartown, is obsessed with bears. She collects books about bears. Her favourite toy is Berisford, a teddy bear passed down by her grandmother. Every night, she looks out of her bedroom window and says goodnight to the bear statue outside. Every morning she says hello to Bee Bear, a colourful painted bear that lives at her school. She even has bears on her bedroom wallpaper!

Sandy goes everywhere with Berisord. He even goes with her to school. And one day, this brings Sandy to the attention of class bully Tommy Pickles, who snatches Berisford away and laughs at Sandy for being a bit of a baby. The ensuing scuffle sees Berisford confiscated for a night by unsympathetic teacher Miss Waggs. How on earth will Sandy manage a whole night without Berisord? Well, reader, she doesn't have to....

.... because a knock comes at her bedroom window. Outside is Statue Bear, Bee Bear and Beresford, come to take her to a fabulous bear party, complete with, you guessed it, a teddy bears picnic. For one night only!

Oh, this is a lovely story. Sandy's bear-filled dreams come true and even Tommy Pickles gets his comeuppance in the end. The theme of bullying is dealt with gently and forms a quiet reminder rather than taking centre stage. That is filled by a cheerful, happy tale of a magical adventure and it carries you along with it. What child doesn't dream of its favourite toys coming to life and enjoying jolly japes together? The text is pitched just right for reading aloud and does a little bit of vocabulary-stretching too. Si Clark's illustrations are colourful and energetic, with lots of little details to notice each time you read. I want Sandy's bear-adorned purple jumper!

One of the things I like best about this gorgeous, big-hearted book is that a universal story has a local genesis. Nick Jones is from Congleton, which is nicknamed Beartown from a local legend that the town once bought a bear instead of a bible. Well, we don't buy bears for entertainment these days, thank heavens, but in 2011 Congleton celebrated its history in a Year of the Bear. Bearmania saw dozens of bear statues around the town, all beautifully decorated and this is the inspiration for One Night in Beartown. You can read more about Bearmania here and here. What a lovely provenance!

You don't need to hail from Congleton to buy this lovely book. It's bear-illiant!

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You can read more book reviews or buy One Night in Beartown by Nick Jones and Si Clark at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You could get a free audio download of One Night in Beartown by Nick Jones and Si Clark with a 30-day Audible free trial at Amazon.co.uk.
You can read more book reviews or buy One Night in Beartown by Nick Jones and Si Clark at Amazon.com.

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