Bear Books 🐻

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 in with the Browns. Paddington is an innocent, friendly yet quirky bear that loves marmalade. 

Michael Bond wrote Paddington Bear based on a lonely teddy bear he once noticed on a shelf in a London store near Paddington Station on Christmas Eve in 1956. Bond, who was once a BBC cameraman, has famously said that his memories of newsreels showing trainloads of child evacuees leaving London during the Second World War with labels around their necks and possessions in a small suitcase, prompted him to do the same for Paddington’s character. This and several other touching, endearing qualities make Paddington a popular character amongst children and adults alike. 

The Paddington books have been widely published and translated into 30 languages across 70 titles and have managed to sell more than 30 million copies worldwide. Paddington was first made into a physical teddy bear in 1972. Since then, the Paddington stories have been adapted widely for both television and film. Today, Paddington is a famous movie star bear who has even had the privilege of making an audience with the queen. 

Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Axel Scheffler: The classic fairytale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears has been masterfully brought to life by Axel Scheffler, the illustrator. When Goldilocks stumbles across a little house in the woods, she finds an array of treats inside. The perfect little chair to sit on, the perfect bowl of porridge, not to mention the perfect bed for a nap—all of which belong to the Baby Bear. And when the three bears arrive home, who is in for a surprise, the bear family or Goldilocks?