About the Author

Sarah Hayes is the author of many books for children, including two more stories about the boy and his bear: This Is the Bear and the Picnic Lunch and This Is the Bear and the Bad Little Girl as well as Mary, Mary, all illustrated by Helen Craig; The Grumpalump; Happy Christmas, Gemma (shortlisted for the Smarties Book Prize); and Eat Up, Gemma. Sarah Hayes is married with three children and lives in Thame, Oxfordshire. Helen Craig is a widely acclaimed illustrator of books for children, whose work includes The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse (shortlisted for the Smarties Book Prize); Rosie's Visitors and the hugely popular stories about Angelina Ballerina now on TV.

Reviews

"Anyone old enough to be attached to a teddy bear will be enchanted... Sarah Hayes' rhyming couplets work very well, and Helen Craig's illustrations are just right." Wendy Cope, The Daily Telegraph; "For those ready for their first story, there could be no better choice than This is the Bear." Judy Taylor, The Independent

PreS-Gr 2 A delightful misadventure. Its strong rhyming narrative and bold type make it fun for sharing or reading alone. A stuffed bear is accidentally pushed into a bin and winds up at the dump. A determined small boy and his dog follow him and retrieve him. They hitch a ride home, clean up the bear, and promise not to tell the other animals and toys what has happened. In a few short pages, Hayes captures the full range of emotions that any small child might feel if lost. Bear's face is wonderfully expressive. His indignation is palpable in the illustration of the line, ``This is the bear all cold and cross.'' The watercolors are outlined in pen and ink; each page is enclosed in a softly colored border. Small balloons add extra comments to the large-sized rhyming text. A simple story line rounded out with humor and well-matched pictures. Judith Gloyer, Milwaukee Public Library