Bear Worries
Natalia Shaloshvili
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books

The bear protagonist in this tale is a worrier and always anticipates the worst when he undertakes something. On this occasion we first meet him with an almost empty packet of cookies in his paw, worrying in case he’s eating the last one. On discovering it is, he rushes out, already worrying about the shop being about to close, missing the bus and having to walk through the scary forest. This all happens and our narrator finds himself lost in the forest. He then starts a new concatenation of what ifs, finally arriving at the end of a very long line of customers waiting outside the cookie shop.

As luck would have it, the very last cookie is sold to a duck; poor Bear. However, Duck has a kind heart and a generous nature so decides to share his purchase with Bear; but that isn’t quite the end of the story. There’s a surprise final twist …

The lesson Bear learns in this story is that keeping your worries to yourself can make them grow, but sharing them with another person will likely make them shrink. This is an important life lesson for young humans to learn too. Natalia’s book with its ursine character and expressive smudgy mixed media illustrations offers a good starting point.