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A review by katykelly
The Bear Nobody Wanted by Janet Ahlberg
4.0
Classic children's author-illustrators in a book for older children.
It was purely their name that made me pick this up - my childhood memories of Burglar Bill, Happy Families and Funnybones (and those of my boys). I was interested to see the pair in a chapter book format.
And it was rather lovely. In the vein of The Family From One End Street or Shirley Hughes, the nostalgia of the period seeps through, just as WWII is starting. A teddy bear is made in a factory with notions of superiority and no experience of the world. Both of these start to changes as, Black Beauty-like, he chances upon new owners, families, ways of living, and even, hopefully, friends and maybe an understanding of his place in the world.
Regular pictures add to the period feel, the text isn't too complex for a listening KS1 child, though there will be references that need explaining (mangles, air raids, rationing, etc).
It's a gentle enough story, no terrible experiences for our unnamed bear, and will hold the interest for its quaintness and toy point-of-view.
For ages 5-9.
It was purely their name that made me pick this up - my childhood memories of Burglar Bill, Happy Families and Funnybones (and those of my boys). I was interested to see the pair in a chapter book format.
And it was rather lovely. In the vein of The Family From One End Street or Shirley Hughes, the nostalgia of the period seeps through, just as WWII is starting. A teddy bear is made in a factory with notions of superiority and no experience of the world. Both of these start to changes as, Black Beauty-like, he chances upon new owners, families, ways of living, and even, hopefully, friends and maybe an understanding of his place in the world.
Regular pictures add to the period feel, the text isn't too complex for a listening KS1 child, though there will be references that need explaining (mangles, air raids, rationing, etc).
It's a gentle enough story, no terrible experiences for our unnamed bear, and will hold the interest for its quaintness and toy point-of-view.
For ages 5-9.