The Bear Behind: A book about dealing with back to school worries

by Sam Copeland, Pippa Curnick (Illustrator)

The bestselling story that will help ease those starting school worries, with lots of laugh-out-loud moments to get little ones excited for school.

Meet Ivor, a little boy in a big world, who absolutely, categorically, definitely does NOT like any sort of attention. So it's more than a minor catastrophe for Ivor to discover on his very first day of school that he has a great big . . .

BEAR BEHIND!

And as the bumbling bear begins to cause chaos and calamity, Ivor's hope for a normal first day at school quickly fades . . .

From colouring name tags to storytime and dressing up, finding the toilet to making friends at play time, this will give readers a little taste of what to expect on their first day of school . . . just without the pesky Bear Behind!

A hilarious story that will encourage children to find their voice at school, written by Sam Copeland, bestselling author of Charlie Changes into a Chicken, and larger-than-life illustrations by Pippa Curnick, creator of the award-winning Indigo Wilde series.

Genres: Childrens

32 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2023

About the author

Sam Copeland is a Waterstones Children's Book Prize shortlisted author. He is from Manchester and now lives in London with two smelly cats, three smelly children and one relatively clean-smelling wife. He works as a chicken whisperer, travelling the world using his unique gift to tame wild chickens. Charlie Changes Into a Chicken was his first book. It was followed by the sequel Charlie Turns Into a T-Rex, and the third in the series - Charlie Morphs into a Mammoth - which was published in February 2020. His latest book Uma and the Answer to Absolutely Everything will be released in January 2021. His books have been translated into 26 languages, which is wild really. www.sam-copeland.com

Reviews

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first day at school is tricky for anyone, and Ivor is a boy who likes to blend into the background - I can sympathize! So he is very unhappy when he realizes there is a huge big BEAR BEHIND him, and the bear likes attention - whether it's singing, juggling, or playing a trumpet, he's always trying to be seen. This is NOT GOOD for Ivor - but eventually he realizes that, in fact, the Bear is doing his best to help him with those first day jitters.

What a cute story! This time of year there are a lot of nervous five year olds and their parents, and this will be a great book to offer them. The bright colours and fun illustrations will draw children in and give them plenty to look at, with all kinds of little things hidden in the pictures to find and talk about. Even after the child has started school this book will often be pulled out for another read!

A fantastic, bright, cheerful book to help with what can be a very stressful time for a child.

[Helen Ishmurzin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a sweet and funny book, with clever word play, perfect for kids nervous about starting school.

[Tinker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Luettu suomennettu versio Iiro ja peräkarhu.

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't really fell this one but I did love the blue that was used for the bear!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only a great book for those first day jitters but for anyone who has anxiety about new situations.

[Tapani Aulu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Erikoinen idea, eikä oikein päästy sisälle tähän. Mutta kivat kuvat kuitenkin.