Warmhearted illustrations and a tender rhyming narrative combine to create an enchanting tale of the love between a child and his beloved teddy bear, Stripy Ted. We follow the duo through various adventures, watching as Ted shows increasing wear and tear--only to become more loved by his owner.  Perfect bedtime-story material that is sure to delight listeners.

A child extols a beloved teddy bear, Stripy Ted.Just as Pooh Bear is anthropomorphized in his stories as he plays with Christopher Robin, Cleminson's illustrations, which have the look of watercolor and ink, clearly depict Ted as a sentient, animate toy. Another literary antecedent, The Velveteen Rabbit, comes closer to the heart of Heapy's story, as the rhyming, first-person text details the adventures the child narrator (who appears white and male) has with the teddy bear. Bit by bit, their play renders the toy literally "loved to bits." The soft visual aesthetic of the art, with a style akin to Lauren Castillo's, eases any sense of foreboding readers might feel as Ted's stripes fade and he loses first an ear, then an eye, then his limbs. When the narrator's mother asks, "Shall I mend him?" the child doesn't hesitate to say no. "I liked him better. I could hold him in one hand. He fit just right, just here," reads the text in a spread near the book's end with a close-up illustration of the two cuddled up. The bear is well-loved and looks it—a fate that's likely to befall this book, as well.Not too shabby at all. (Picture book. 3-6)

PreS-Gr 1 A child narrator and his beloved teddy bear, Stripy Ted, imagine and play together in bed. The boy and his bear have adventures "around [the] bed/from dreams we had,/and books we read." Presumably after years of make-believe fun, Stripy Ted needed a wash, has lost an ear, an eye, a leg, an arm, until "the last stitch tore and Stripy Ted fell to the floor." Now battered, worn-out, and simply a body with a head, the little boy appreciates the bear even more in his well-loved condition. Heapy's story line will be easily accessible for young readers, and Cleminson's expressive, warm renderings, drawn with ink pipette, charcoal, and watercolor, are delicate, thoughtful, and whimsical. VERDICT A simple, tender addition to children's stories about imaginative play and security toys, perfect for bedtime reading. Recommended for purchase. Brianne Colombo, Fairfield Free Public Library, NJ