The Forever Bear – Lu Fraser and Pippa Curnick

Published By: Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Pages: 32
Released On: 09/10/2025
Reading Age: Birth-5 Years

It’s Harry’s birthday, and all he wants is a bear of his own. When he steps into a magical shop full of teddy bears, he finds a hundred different kinds of bear to choose from – roundish bears and thinnish bears, woolly bears and shaggy bears; spotty bears and dotty bears, and stripy-on-their botty bears!

But Harry is looking for a very special kind of bear. The kind of bear that he’ll love for a lifetime.

Will he get his heart’s desire and find his Forever Bear?

*****

Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Children’s Books for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.

Okay so yes, this is a book aimed at children, from birth to about 5. And I, at 32, am a wee bit outside that age range, but I just so wanted to read this. Just from the cover and premise it sounded like such a beautiful bedtime story that I might have read once upon a time, and sometimes you want the comfort that comes from a book like that. Sometimes you just need a book about a teddy bear to get you through the day.

And it rhymes! Which I didn’t realise was something I really wanted, but it really adds to the magical feel of the story.

I loved it. I know I’m too old for it, but I don’t care. It’s quick and so can be read at bedtime to let the child get off to a nice cosy sleep. I might be looking too deep into it, but children really love their toys far more than adults might believe, and this story puts that love front and centre.

It is just 32 pages but it sure packs a punch in those 32 pages. It’s warming and comforting and nostalgic and just lovely. I don’t have children this young in my family anymore, but how I wish I could buy this for them.