Teddy Bear Stories for Grown-Ups

by Valerie Thame, Catherine Taylor (Editor)

Teddy bears play a part in the lives of innumerable grown-ups. Often, even after a childhood teddy has been worn into a threadbare, shapeless lump, the affection it inspired still remains. There has been a great resurgence of interest in teddy bears both new and old - not just as objects of affection, but also as collector's items. Teddy bear shops have sprung up all over the country and there is even a teddy hospital at The House of Bruin in Loughborough, Leicestershire, where sick teddies can receive expert medical attention. As countless grown-ups know, teddy bears are not just for children.

Teddy bears are the inspiration in this unique and fun collection of stories. With 23 stories in all, readers will find a wonderful variety, from mystery to humor and romance, to some amazing true stories. Read the fascinating story of how Margarete Steiff, a German dressmaker, got into the toy business by mistake. Her nephew decided to make a bear with moveable limbs made out of mohair, this inventing what soon was to be named by Americans the "teddy bear" after Teddy Roosevelt. Another story tells how a lucky teddy bear, unbeknownst to his unfortunate owner, became a survivor in the sinking of the Titanic . Whatever their theme, all the stories acknowledge the very special relationship that exists between a bear and its owner.

Altogether, this is a perfect companion for all who believe that their relationship with teddy bears is too precious to end with childhood.

Genres: Anthologies, Short Stories

264 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

8/09 This book is a collection of short stories. The non-fiction stories about the history of teddy bears or the 'life experiences' of specific early or famous teddy bears were interesting. The fictional stories were varied and some were wonderful while others were either just okay or seemed rather forced (trying to be dark and mysterious but coming up short).

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Out of Britian, this book isn't kidding when it says it's for grown-ups. Some of the stories are a bit dark, nuanced, and deal with adult topics. I enjoyed how quick they are to read. There's actually a mix of true accounts, more like essays, and fiction in this work. This one sat on my shelf for years (much like a teddy bear) and I'm glad I finally read it and enjoyed it.

[Rob Sedgwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of these stories really are for grown-ups. The stories are written from a variety of perspectives: some owner's, some bear's, and some retailer's. Some of the bears are sentient, others just stuffed toys (as they appear to me and you). Several of the stories involve deaths - you really do not want to cross paths with some of these teddies. My favourite was the story of the teddy who communicated with his owner, and helped run the latter's business, via files on his desktop computer.

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another unread book from my personal library that I've had likely since the late 1990s.

This collection of UK short stories is quite a mix - some are sweet, some are rather disturbing, and some are based on historical people/teddy bears from the early 20th century up to post-World War II.
The latter are some of the best stories from my perspective.

[Ross Lampert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely a mixed bag of stories. Some saccharine sweet, some clever, some dark, some meh. I guess that's to be expected when an author/editor puts out a call for stories for an anthology and only gets a limited number of submissions.

[Adriana Diaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Favorite story was the murderous teddy bear that tried to avenge his girl. Sad it didn't work out 😭

Cute book that took me forever to read but I always enjoyed the stories (except 1 religious one that was so boring by page 2 I skipped it)

3 ⭐️

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, it was quite good! As with any book of short stories, there were a few I didn't care for. But this book was quite diverse - fiction, non-fiction, mystery, some told by teddy bears, some told about bears. I don't know that it strictly needs to be for grown-ups, but definitely for older children as some of them were a bit to scary/thrilling/intense for the typical child who loves bears.

[J F · Rating 5 out of 5]

A warm mix of comfort and he-he make this collection stand out -- and not merely for the collector. Well worth indulging in - at Christmastime or any time, this offering of 23 short tales will appeal to the history lover, the romantic, the adventurer, and even the cynic. Yes, its true. So, gather 'round, and enjoy!

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is awesome. There are some fairly boring bits, but it's really easy to skip over them, since this is a compilation. The good ones are fantastic, worth getting to for sure.

*If you appreciate dark, awkward comedy. And some quite nice things thrown in.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book wasn't quite what i expected. If you are expecting warm and fuzzy stories about adults and their teddy bears you will find a few. There are also some stories that are a bit of a mystery and a few that are a little disturbing. Overall though, it is a good assortment and entertaining.

[Lady Dazy · Rating 5 out of 5]

So you thought that stories about Teddy Bears were only for children. Please use the link below to read my review of this unusual book.

https://discover.hubpages.com/literat...