My Friend Bear

My Friend Bear is a heartwarming story about friendship, loneliness, and the comfort of shared experiences. Both Eddy and the Bear are feeling sad and isolated-each wishing for a friend. When they meet and connect over their mutual sadness, a new friendship blooms. With emotive storytelling and bold illustrations by Jez Alborough, this book touches on themes of empathy and emotional expression in a way that young children can relate to. Shortlisted for the British Book Awards Children's Book of the Year, My Friend Bear is ideal for discussing emotions, building resilience, and encouraging kindness. Its expressive language and visual cues make it suitable for read-aloud sessions and literacy development.

Educational Benefits:

• Builds emotional literacy and empathy by exploring feelings of sadness and friendship.
• Encourages personal reflection and discussion of social experiences.
• Supports vocabulary development through expressive text and dialogue.
• Reinforces narrative structure and character development understanding.

Classroom Ideas:

• Create a friendship tree with students adding leaves with kind actions.
• Role-play scenes from the book to explore emotions and solutions.
• Write or draw responses to œWhat makes a good friend?
• Use the story to introduce a class discussion on how to support others who feel lonely.

Information:

• Ages: 3+ years
• Format: Standard picture book format
• Author/Illustrator: Jez Alborough