It's the Bear!

Eddy and the Bear #2

by Jez Alborough

Eddy doesn't want to go to the woods for a picnic with Mum. He's scared that the huge hungry bear who lives there will make a picnic out of him!

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Humor, Storytime, Fiction, Juvenile

Paperback

First published September 15, 1994

About the author

Jez is the author and illustrator of 48 books for children. In 2018 he published The Story of 'You' his first book for adults, the first in a series called Life Beyond Personality. He says: "We enter this world as pure Oneness, (what I call our ‘original state of Being’) but we lose this as we become identified with our Personality. In that identification, the Stillness and Love of our Original State is overshadowed by the suffering of the Personality.

"Our Personality creates its own dream from the deep-seated beliefs and emotions it harbours; a dream that can be full of emotional distress, over-thinking and the constant investment in a future which never quite delivers on the belief: ‘When I get this I’ll be happy.’ The Story of ‘You’ suggests it’s possible to wake up out of that dream. When that happens, a whole new adventure begins in a life beyond the Personality."

The Infinite Journey, the second Book in the series, is published in early 2019.


Children's Books

His Eddy and the Bear trilogy (which began with the much-loved Where's My Teddy in 1992) has sold nearly four and a half million copies and was made into an BAFTA award-winning animated television series.

Duck in the Truck (published in 1999) heralded the start of another bestselling series, this time featuring the irrepressible Duck and his three friends - Frog, Goat and Sheep. There are currently nine books in the Duck series and almost than 1.5 million copies have been sold.

In 2000 Jez created Hug - a powerful and touching book of only three words about a baby chimpanzee called Bobo who loses his Mom. Oprah Winfrey raved about it on her show when she chose it for her recommended reading list while Richard Curtis (the writer and director of Four Weddings and a Funeral) selected it as one of his ‘Best Books’, calling it ‘classic family drama which holds up well next to Jez’s other masterpieces.’ Bobo went on to star in thee more classics; Tall ( which along with Hug won the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Book Award) Yes and Play. The series has sold almost 3 million copies.

Jez lives in West London. You can read more about his books for children in the JezAlborough.com library and about The Story of 'You' at LifeBeyondPersonality.com.

Jez's Facebook page is: http://www.facebook.com/jezalborough and you can follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jezalborough

Reviews

[Abigail]

I have this book memorized

[Emily Dunne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first review of a picture book, and I have to admit I found it enjoyable analyzing the illustrations, language and characters as a whole. I can imagine this simplistic yet exciting story would command a child's attention from the opening of the book as the vibrant and detailed illustrations coincide with a lively story line. The main protagonist in the story is Eddy, who is apprehensive of entering the woods for a picnic with his mother due to the "great big bear that lives there". Once his mother realizes she has forgotten the blueberry pie, she returns home,leaving him alone in the forest where he encounters the bear.

The rhyming language in this book, makes it an exciting read and adds to the flow of the story, so that when one rhyme and page is finished, a child may be eagerly anticipating the next. The text is large, with injects of Bold, capital letters and much punctuation. This automatically will create excitement in the child and engages the child's attention even further in the story.

The illustrations of the scenic woods are colorful and create a pleasant setting for this silly and exciting story to take place. The mixture and lay out of frames, which consist of both horizontal, vertical and full panels on others definitely add to the suspense of the story.

The expressions on the characters themselves are full of emotion which hook the readers in and allow them to become connected with the character's even more. It is funny to see that the Bear appears to be just as frightened as Eddy when he see's him, gripping his teddy, terrified of what might come next. It is clear that the visual's complements the story in creating a humorous tale for children to read and creating a rich aesthetic as a whole.

I imagine this book would be extremely good to read aloud to children in the classroom, one which everyone can partake in some way or another. It would also be an excellent drama project to undertake with a small group involving the narrator, mother, Eddy and the Bear. Overall, an exciting enjoyable picture book for children ages 4-7.

[Julianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed for THC Reviews
"4.5 stars" It’s the Bear! is the second book in Jez Alborough’s Eddy and the Bear children’s book series. In this one, Eddie is about to go on a picnic with his mom, but he’s afraid to enter the forest because of the big bear he saw there once. She tells him that there are no bears in this forest, but Eddie isn’t quite convinced. After setting out their picnic, Mom realizes she forgot the blueberry pie and runs home to get it, leaving Eddie alone. Along comes Bear, and this time, he’s very hungry!

I loved the first book of the series, Where’s My Teddy?, so I was excited to read this follow-up story. It wasn’t quite as hysterical as the first one, but it’s still very cute. There’s a touch of suspense as Eddie hides from Bear that will keep little ones on the edge of their seat wondering what will happen if Bear finds him. For Bear’s part, he’s mostly focused on the food, so he’s not as afraid of Eddie this time. As with the first book, the illustrations are very well done, showing the proper of amount of terror and surprise for Eddie and Bear’s excitement at having found a feast. Overall, this was a very good sequel that I’d recommend for young ones who like humorous or slightly suspenseful stories.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sequel to "Where's my Teddy." An innocent picnic turns into a terrifying experience for little Eddie when Mom leaves him alone in the woods for a minute to get the forgotten blueberry pie. Although there aren't any big bears in THIS forest, somehow there IS this one BIG bear, a very hungry bear. He's holding his own teddy bear, which is adorable. He does what hungry bears do...eat all your food. Eddie is sure he's going to be dessert, but somehow mom saves the day. The bear gets the blueberry pie and Eddie doesn't get eaten for dessert, so toddlers listening to this story will be saved from a traumatic ending. The illustrations are a little dated but they are bright and cheerful and I don't think they are the stuff of nightmares.

[Carolyn Jeziorski · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this to some preschoolers. They were convinced the bear would eat everyone (and seemed disappointed when he didn’t). They also immediately started talking about Goldilocks when I read the title.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was just okay. Mom and boy go on a picnic. The boy is afraid there will be bears. There is. Mom doesn't believe him.

[Elaine Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very funny book in that I love

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Make sure to do voices 😁

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mom doesn't believe there is a bear in the woods, so she runs back for the pie for their dessert and leaves Eddie alone in the woods!

[Valleri · Rating 4 out of 5]

It truly WAS a bear! This humorous picture book is full of surprises but ends in a joyous manner. Reading it was sheer fun through and through!

[Dana Lovell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book follows Eddy going on a picnic in the woods with his mother, but he is afraid of a bear.
A good book to introduce rhyme.
Good to use with KS1

[Liam Dawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable illustrations and a fun story.

[Miss Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eddie comes across the Big Bear again when he goes to have a picnic in the forest.

[Connor Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eddie and his mom go into the woods to have a picnic, but Eddie is afraid because of the big bear that lives in the woods. Eddie's mom tells him that there is no bear and begins to lay out the picnic as she realizes that she has forgotten the dessert; she goes back home to get the dessert and leaves Eddie all alone. The big bear approaches the picnic and Eddie quickly hides in the basket, as the bear sits on the basket and begins to eat the food. The bear is startled when he sees a screaming Eddie upon opening the basket in search for some dessert. Eddie's mom quickly returns and reassures Eddie that there is no bear, however upon turning around she is even more startled to see the big bear eating her pie and she quickly grabs Eddie and makes a run for it. The major theme of this story is that animals are just as afraid of humans as we are of them and so we should be aware of this when outdoors. I rate this book a 4 out of 5 stars, because it has a good story line, but could have elaborated more on the human and wild animal interaction. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book because the author did a great job building up a sense of suspense within me through the use of exaggerated images, such as making the bear unreasonably huge and making the boy and his mother small compared to their wooded surroundings. Further, the author’s employment of diction and syntax added to the overall effects of the story as he included words in uppercase and spaced sentences to connect the reader and emphasize points of importance. I recommend this book to young readers because it is a great example of a suspenseful story that teaches a valuable lesson about wild animals to the reader.

[Lea]

This story is about a little boy, Eddie, and his mother going into a forest for a picnic together. Eddie is frightened of the forest because a giant bear lives in it, but his mother dismisses the fright. After unpacking the food, his mother finds that she forgot the dessert so she leaves Eddie alone ans heads back to grab it. Eddie is scared and thinks that he hears something, so he hides in the picnic basket. The giant bear then comes and eats the food, and then opens to basket to find a terrified Eddie. The child screams for his mother and she comes back, notices the bear, and runs off with Eddie.

The images are very descriptive in this story. Even if there weren't many words, the reader can notice and understand a lot of the emotions and situations from just looking at the characters. Eddie looks very frightened, his mother just looks happy and oblivious, and the bear looks surprised and curious. The images also take up a full page sometimes, other times using vertical and horizontal panels.

[Vivian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great story to share in a "Teddy Bear" story time or party because it begins with a picnic!

Follow the reading with a game of "Ring Around the Teddy" (which I adapted from "Ring Around the Rosie").
Ring around the Teddy.
The bears are getting ready --
PICNIC! PICNIC!
We all fall down.

If all the children have a teddy bear you can sing and do these actions:
Put Your Finger on Your Bear, on your bear
Put your finger on your bear, on your bear
Put your finger on your bear, (now think of a phrase that rhymes, such as "why not leave it there?" or "now put it on your hair").
repeat with other verses: ear / leave it for a year, chin / it's where the food slips in, nose / before it starts to grow, cheek / leave it for a week

(follow this link for the tune: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grlBa... )

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eddie and his mom are out for a picnic. Eddie didn't want to come. He's sure there will be a bear. His mother tells him that, of course, there are no bears. Mom quickly realizes that she's forgotten to pack the blueberry pie for dessert. She runs back to grab it while Eddie waits, in a panic, sitting on top of the picnic basket.

You'll never guess who shows up!

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really cute and humorous series about a big, scary bear who ends up to be not that scary given that he carries a big ole teddy bear and his little human friend who can't get enough of the big guy. Illustrations are vibrant and match the story. Love the illustration for bear. I didn't find this book as funny as some of the others in the series.

[Danette · Rating 4 out of 5]

2/13/2017 Read with Naomi & Julia. They are fascinated every time.
5/2/17 Read with Naomi & Julia.
11/25/19 Read with Julia
1/13/20 Read with Julia
3/21/20 Read with Julia #covidreader
2/17/21 Julia read to me
10/5/24 Read with Charlotte
2/7/25 Read with Charlotte
2/28/25 Read with Charlotte
3/17/25 Read with Charlotte

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary:
Eddie and Mom go for a picnic in the woods, but Eddie is scared he will run into a bear.

This funny book will have kids squealing with Eddie and parents thinking twice before dismissing their child's fears.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fantastic book by Jez Alborough! The story is funny and easy to read with rhyming. For some reason the bear sitting on the picnic basket is very funny my daughter laughs every time.

[Danielle Robertson Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite children's book. The rhyming is so catchy I read it to my brother and sister when they were babies and could quote parts of the story when I read the book to my son,15 years later. I love the characters and the humorous artwork. I love the rhyme and rhythm. I love this book.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute, rhyming book that all children will love. It's oversized, just like the bear!

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE this book. I used to read it to my sister every day when I was younger, and I had the whole book memorized because it was so awesome:)

[Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of our first favorite picture books for our kids!

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story and worked great for a teddy bear picnic.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. It is so fun to read to my kids. Jez Alborough is a favorite of mine.

[Coree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Family Favorite, read in order this is the second in the series.

[4toots · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 2nd favorite by Jez

[Kerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zoe's favorite!!!!