McPhail, David. 2002. The teddy bear. Illustrated by David McPhail. New York: Henry Holt and Company.
The Teddy Bear is a charming story of a young boy, a homeless man, and the teddy bear that they both love. The original owner of the teddy bear is a little boy. The boy loves the bear and takes him everywhere. The teddy bear had a good home, a warm and cozy place to sleep, many friends, and someone who loved him (2). One day, however, the boy leaves him in a restaurant booth. Before the boy realizes his mistake, the teddy bear is discarded. The bear feels that he will never be found � or loved by anyone ever again. To his surprise, he is given a second chance at happiness. A homeless man discovers the bear and gives him a new home � his coat pocket. Over the next few pages, the teddy bear adapts to his new situation. As for the bear, he missed the little boy and his old friends. But he was enjoying his new life and the company of the bearded man. Best of all, the bear still felt loved (18). One spring day when the homeless man had left the bear alone on the park bench, the boy finds his bear. The boy is happy to have his old bear back. But as the boy is walking away he hears the old man say, My bear! My bear! Where is my bear? The little boy remembers how lost he felt without his bear and has compassion on the man. The boy gives the bear back to the man. The boy knows he has made the right decision when he sees how happy the man becomes. The bearded man smiled. He took the teddy bear in his rough hands and hugged him (26). The story ends with the boy and his family returning to their life, and the homeless man returning to his.
The illustrations, also by McPhail, are very expressive with cool greens, blues, and grays. The colors help to set the mood and tone of the text. For example, on page fourteen, McPhail expresses the sadness of the little boy over the loss of the bear by using these dark cool colors. On the other hand, McPhail uses brighter colors to express happier emotions. For example, on page twenty and twenty-one the colors are much brighter � green, yellow, pink and orange. The shape and size of the illustrations also change throughout the text. Some pages have circular illustrations while some have rectangular illustrations. There are some pages with more than one illustration � and some pages without any at all. Some illustrations take a full page, and some do not even take half a page! Overall, the illustrations blend with the text to create a pleasant experience. The Teddy Bear is a warm, heart-felt story.