The Best-Behaved Bear product reviews

My daughter who is 3 absolutely loves the first book in this beautiful story collection 'The Best-Loved Bear' and as an Early Childhood Teacher I have to say it's also one of my favourites. It wasn't until recently that we were visiting a local bookshop where we just happened to, by luck come across the story of 'The Best-Behaved Bear', knowing that the first of these books has been such a hit with all the children whom I have read it to, I knew I had to buy this book.

The book has beautiful pictures throughout it, which match perfectly with the story being told from page to page, and I just love the style of pencil and pastel effects that the pictures are created through, this makes Tim's bear seem just so much real, Elizabeth Fuller has done an exceptional job with the details in every picture for example the little tear on Toby's leg.

I love how this story portrays Miss 3 perfectly, each year we go on several short holidays as a family, and each time she really struggles to fit in all of her favourite toys which are all vitally important as each other and so need to come along for the journey, however we are never talking about just 1 or 2 toys, but rather 10 or 12 toys which with no surprise just don't all seem to fit in her bag! The Best-Behaved Bear follows the story of a little boy Tim, who has to pack his bag to go to his Aunty Sue's wedding, after packing his bag with all of the essentials he finds that there is no room in his bag left to fit his most beloved bear Toby, for which he sets off to find a solution as there is no way he is leaving Toby behind!

I loved this book and I can see why Toby the bear is still such a hit with children now, just like it was with me in my own childhood. I love the message that this portrays to children of never giving up as there is always an answer you just to keep looking for it. Of course this book has a happy ending, as Tim finds a special place for Toby in his Nan's bag. This is sure to become a much cherished book for years to come, which my daughter and daycare children alike love, after all there are not many children who don't have a favourite teddy bear of there own. A great book which would make an even greater gift.

As someone who quite struggles with packing this book really made me laugh. Poor Tim really wants to take Toby Bear on holiday but he just won't fit in. By the time its time to go Toby is just a bit of a mess!

The story is just perfect and the illustrations are just gorgeous. Elizabeth Fuller is a very talented illustrator and she just captures perfectly what is occurring in the words of the story. A fantastic combination and collaboration between Diana Noonan and Elizabeth.

If you have read any of the previous "Best-Behaved Bear" books and enjoyed them then you will love this. If you haven't read any then this is a great one to start on. Because of its plot re trying to fit everything in and going on holiday, it is a great book to read to help your little one prepare for going on holiday also. I will definitely be making sure it is on hand if we go flying to a tropical island for a holiday!

My Miss Three and Miss Five both like this and MIss Five keeps taking it from my desk to read it in her bed at night. They love the Best Behaved Bear books and I regularly see the girls reading them. They love to look at the pictures as much as read the story. This is one book that just keeps walking so it obviously has huge appeal to her. These books are such enduring classics and I imagine that my girls will be reading these to their children with fond memories the way I pull out my Paddington Bear books!

I can definitely recommend this book and would also recommend getting the others in the series if you haven't done so already. A perfect gift and a fantastic collection.

The Best-Behaved Bear is the third book by Diana Noonan and Elizabeth Fuller about Tim and his teddy bear Toby. We own the first two: The Best-Loved Bear and The Best'-Dressed Bear. My four year old daughter had just last week been given a belated Christmas present including another copy of The Best-Dressed Bear. To say Miss 4 and Miss 5.5 were delighted to see another in this series was an understatement. I was commanded to read it immediately. It also helped that Miss 4 had been working on the letter B with her homebased educarer so the alliteration in the title wasn't lost on her.

The story is a very familiar one for any of us that have traveled with young children. Tim insists on Toby coming with him but doesn't have room in his bag for the bear. He then sets out to find a solution. As you can imagine Toby gets to go on holiday and gets a role in Aunty Sue's wedding. As an adult I could predict what was going to happen but for young children with limited knowledge of weddings they were kept guessing until the end.

I read this story to several young children and the two year olds found it too long for them. Miss 5.5 enjoyed it but it was Miss 4 that it was a real hit with. After reading it the first time she went on a hunt to find a Toby for herself. After searching her room she found a previously un-named bear (which had a striking resemblance to Toby) and declared that this was her Toby. Toby then had to sit and listen to her read the book (4 year old style) to him. Toby and the book also had to go with her to the educarer's home the next day. While at playgroup Miss 4 showed the book to lots of the other educarers and visiting teachers and they all loved the story.

For a children's book that is the third in a series I expected it to be more of the same old story but I was pleasantly surprised. I loved this book. It is not necessary to read the books in sequence which means that this would be a great gift for a family that has the other books or for those that have no idea about what Tim and Toby have been doing in the past. Just like the first one which was written 20 years ago this is a timeless book that will be cherish for years.