View source for Old Bear's Bedtime Stories by Jane Hissey

{{infobox2
|title=Old Bear's Bedtime Stories
|author=Jane Hissey
|reviewer=Ruth Ng
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Old, favourite, familiar characters in a set of charming short stories, perfect for a quick bedtime read.
|rating=4.5
|buy=yes
|borrow=yes
|pages=160
|publisher=Scribblers
|date=November 2015
|isbn=9781910706152
|website=http://www.janehissey.co.uk/
|video=
|aznuk=1910706159
|aznus=1910706159
|cover=1910706159 
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I'm not sure you ever grow out of Old Bear stories.  I just curled up in a blanket to read this latest collection of stories, and when I'd finished my nine year old daughter sneaked over and took the book upstairs to read it by herself!  Here we have twenty one stories and poems, all fairly short so useful when you need a quick bedtime!  All your old favourites are here - Bramwell Bear and Duck and Little Bear, just waiting for you to snuggle up and read about their latest adventures.

There's a lot of variety in this book, with plenty of stories about characters we already know and love, but also lots of new cuddly toys to read about.  There's a bear who gets a bit scared when the children in his house carve a scary pumpkin, so he carves his own pumpkin with a friendly smiling bear face.  We also see some trouble in the bed when it seems that 4 cuddlies are just too many for one bed and so alternative sleeping arrangements must be found!  I particularly enjoyed the story about the jumble sale, when all the toys are in a panic about who might be sent off to the sale.  In order to avoid being sold, all the toys learn to sew so that they can fix any broken arms or hanging off ears, and they make themselves some nice new clothes.  You'll be relieved to hear that they do such a good job that when Mother comes to look around the toy room she doesn't find anyone worn out to get rid of!

The illustrations are, of course, delightful.  All the characters are so softly drawn, and look so realistic that it seems as if you can touch Little Bear's curly fur, or feel the slightly worn body of Old Bear.  I particularly liked all the bears in the story called ''Mr Brown and the Baby Bear'', as well as the two page picture from the story where some of the toys put on a play of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.  Even without the gorgeous pictures, the stories are lovely to read.  One of my favourites this time was ''Duncan Barker and the Tartan Rug'' that made me laugh since Duncan is initially so annoying to all the other toys but still they are kind enough to try to find ways to help him settle into his new home.  Some pages are short poems, rather than a story, and these are a nice addition to the collection and, even better, perfect for a super fast bedtime reading session, if you need to make a quick getaway for the babysitter and a well deserved night out!

The only slightly sad aspect for me was the lack of anything much about Jolly Tall.  Jolly Tall is the giraffe, and he's one of my favourite characters, so if I had a quibble it would be his absence.  But there are so many other lovely characters to meet and enjoy that it was only a momentary wobble!  I find these stories are always very gentle and relaxing to read, with a good pace that sets everyone up for a quiet bedtime.  Lovely for little ones, and any bigger ones who fancy a read too!

Further reading suggestion: For slightly longer stories about our favourite cuddly toys take a look at [[Old Bear Stories by Jane Hissey]] or you might also enjoy [[The Perfect Bear by Gillian Shields]].

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