Bear Books 🐻

About

How many of us remember clinging to a stuffed teddy bear growing up? The one that had to go everywhere we went, yes the very one that sent the entire family into a frenzy if it went missing. That cuddly teddy bear we grew up with, remained our best friend for years. However, at some point, this very-loved and therefore dishevelled teddy bear was replaced by fictional bears that we continued to love through our teens and books. Our teddy bears may have succumbed to our smothering but fictional bears continue to live on through generations in our hearts and books. Read on as we list some of our favourite, famous bears in children’s literature… Baloo is the beloved and original papa bear who starred in Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book . He first appeared as a strict teacher to the cubs of the Seeonee wolf pack and Mowgli, the man-cub. As the story progresses we see Baloo as one of Mowgli’s mentors, friends, and father figure. He is patient, strong, and responsible, a bear with a good heart, paternal instincts, and just one weakness, that he is ticklish! Winnie-the-Pooh first appears in the book Winnie-the-Pooh , a collection of stories by author A. A. Milne, in 1926. The character was named after a teddy bear owned by Milne’s son, Christopher Robin Milne, on whom the character Christopher Robin was also based. Christopher Milne had re-named his toy bear (originally called Edward) after Winnie, a Canadian black bear he often saw at London Zoo, and ‘Pooh’ a swan they had met whilst on holiday. Winnie the Pooh is a simple-minded, kind-hearted, lovable bear, who lacks book smarts but more than makes up for it in simple and honest emotional generosity. An endearing bear that promises to always be there for you. Whilst Winnie the Pooh became a Disney character in 1966, we've always favoured the book version. Plus, E. H. Shepard's original illustrations, we think, are magical. Paddington the Bear was born and raised in deepest, darkest Peru, but made his way to London and moved