The Bear

Name: William Joseph
Price range: $

by Raymond Briggs

Interest age: 3 to 6
Reading age: 6+

Published by Penguin, 2016

Classics
Picture books

About this book

Young Tilly is delighted when a polar bear clambers through her bedroom window one night and snuggles up next to her in bed. He's got huge claws and sharp yellow teeth, but his furry coat is warm and soft, and Tilly decides he's far cuddlier than her little teddy.

But then the bear begins to cause trouble, knocking over furniture and emptying the honey jar in one enormous slurp. He even falls asleep during a 'serious talk'. Are mischievous polar bears really ideal domestic pets?

This oversized picture book makes the most of Briggs's soft, pastel-coloured pencil drawings. In a combination of full-page spreads and cinematic smaller panel sequences, Bear is large but never frightening.

The delicate emotional thread between the two friends is just as touching as that between a young child and an enigmatic central character that enlivens The Snowman. The Bear is a warm story replete with classic Raymond Briggs themes: kindness, caring, and letting go.

About the author

Raymond Briggs was one of our most respected and beloved artists. Born in Wimbledon in 1934, he studied at the Slade School of Fine Art and went on to produce a treasure trove of work. He created characters that are now icons for generations of children, including Fungus the Bogeyman, Father Christmas and, of course, the beloved Snowman. His original Mother Goose was published in 1966 and won the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal. His work has won numerous awards and been adapted for film on several occasions including Ethel and Ernest. He died in August 2022, aged 88.

Raymond Briggs was given the BookTrust Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017.