My Brown Bear Barney in Trouble by Dorothy Butler and Elizabeth Fuller

This is a beautiful story which is the sequel to My Brown Bear Barney continues the story of the friendship of a preschool girl and her beloved teddy bear. She and Barney are inseparable and each day brings a new outing and a new mishap. They spend time in the garden, time with Fred, her friend, ride climb their special tree, go shopping, visit the dentist and the library. Finally, they visit Granny. It's a busy week and the days are sprinkled with incidents with an accident prone Barney. However, come Sunday, the little girl and her constant companion are so tired they spend the day reading stories and taking a nap. They need all of their energy for the upcoming week which promises to be just as hectic as the one that is now over. The appealing, cleanly designed water colour illustrations by New Zealand illustrator, Elizabeth Anne Fuller,  add warmth to this familiar story. In fact they are what really make this text and would make text prediction attainable to most infant children.

Arnold the Prickly Teddy by Kym Lardner

Prickly fur is definitely not a teddy bear's best asset, it endears you to no-one, so it seems. Arnold sits day after day gathering dust  in a toy shop in the midst of the fast-selling pink and softer variety of ted. Despite a price reduction, he still doesn't sell and finds himself unceremoniously tossed into a rubbish skip. Luckily, after almost two days of lying among broken toys and wrapping paper, a small had reaches up and liberates Arnold, and his life suddenly takes a turn for the better. This is a heart-warming story that really illustrates the power of love. Kim Lardner has a straight-forward engaging writing style and his huge, detailed and very colourful drawings bring the text to life. 

Kym spends a lot of time touring around and entertaining children with his story-telling, illustrations and songs. He came to Illawarra Primary School a few years back when I was teaching there, and I think I can honestly say that I have never enjoyed another performance as much as his.

If you would like to hear Kim Lardner and appreciate his sense of humour, click on the following link:

http://www.summerreadingclub.slq.qld.gov.au/archive/src08_09/listen_to_kym_lardner