Splash!

Old Bear and Friends

by Jane Hissey

A wonderful new adventure with Old Bear and friends, introducing an endearing new character, the Baby Seal Splash.

On a trip to the seaside, Old Bear, as irrepressible as ever, goes off in search of his beach ball and finds himself face to face with a strange creature with a furry head and a seashell necklace. Is it a shark? Is it a dolphin? No, it’s Splash the baby seal! Little Bear has found a brand-new friend, and soon the two are speeding through the waves on an exciting adventure.

This is a bright, new look, for Old Bear and the team, by author/illustrator Jane Hissey.

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Paperback

First published September 29, 2003

About the author

Recognized in both publishing and TV, Jane Hissey is best known for her children’s book series Old Bear & Friends. First published in 1986, it later became the inspiration for BAFTA award winning TV series Old Bear Stories.

As a child growing up in Norfolk, Jane developed a love for writing and drawing. Her holidays were spent wandering fields and lanes, conjuring up fantastical worlds with pencil and sketchbook. When she wasn’t doing this she would spend days at a time sitting in her favorite tree, reading the likes of Arthur Ransome and Enid Blyton.

Jane continued to nurture her passion through adulthood and studied illustration and design, later becoming an Art teacher and settling down with her husband Ivan and their 3 children Owen, Alison & Ralph. Inspired by a childhood teddy bear given to her by her grandmother, Jane has written and illustrated more than 20 picture books featuring Old Bear.

Her tales of adventure and discovery are both heartwarming and fun, captivating the imaginations of children and adults alike. Her illustrations are unique, using layers of colour pencil to build a more full & finely detailed finished image.

The Old Bear & Friends series has sold more than 7 million copies worldwide!

Reviews

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is beautifully illustrated with great detail showing different textures, making it great for group reading so that children can appreciate this most, alternatively using a projector on a whiteboard could allow it to be read with the whole class without needing multiple copies. It tackles sea safety and concepts such as tides, as well as helping people, as the seal rescued Old Bear when he got swept out to sea. This could be linked to science, geography if coasts are being studied or a holidays topic. It would be suitable to read with children up to year 3.