The library of bears by Cat Rabbit

Softie is the only bear in the library who has not been borrowed. All the others have had adventures and tell their stories each night after being returned. Softie gets up each morning, and sits on her shelf, waiting to be borrowed, but nothing happens.

One day she is borrowed, her library card filled out and stamped and filed. But going off with her new friend, KB, is not as great an adventure as she expected. She ends up a little scared, very sweaty and covered in potatoes.

KB takes her into her bed and cuddles her to stop her tears. She tells Softie about all the things in her room and what they mean to her. She tells Softie that tomorrow they will take notice of all the things they do, so that Softie can tell a story like the others. They eat delicious toast and jam, see the biggest daisy, meet a friendly cat and sit in the warm sun and read together. They write down all the things they have done during the day and go to sleep exhausted. The next day Softie is returned to the library and Stuffie, Softie’s friend, is waiting to hear how she went.  At the end of the day, she sits in front of all the other bears and tells them what she did. They cheer her at the end of her story. The next morning, she gets herself ready and waits on the shelf, ready to be borrowed for her next story.

This charming book about resilience and being positive will be loved, especially with the many teddy bears shown on each page. Poor Softie feels left out and when she is finally borrowed things are not as she wants them to be. She must take time to see how different everyone’s adventure is and write down the story that she shares with KB.

Kids who feel overlooked or left out, will gain a positive outlook following Softie’s story. She felt just as they do and overcomes this making new friends to write stories about. She ends up on the shelf, with a positive look on her face, ready for her next adventure.

Pages are covered with all sorts of teddy bears, prompting the readers to compare these with the ones they have at home. What an opportunity for a Teddy Bear’s picnic or bringing your favourite bear to school when listening to the story. The endpapers are a delight, and the handmade clothes and furniture will give the readers another layer of interest while the read. Cat Rabbit is a textile artist and more of her work can be seen here.

Themes: Teddy bears, Resilience, Story, Libraries, Adventure.

Fran Knight