Book review - Everywhere Bear by Julia Donaldson

The Everywhere Bear has a home on our shelf at Preschool. He doesn’t spend very much time by himself though, as he is all the children’s friend. We relate to him throughout the day, involving him in our activities.

He is also much like the star of a brilliant Julia Donaldson book of the same name, about a bear who goes home to stay with different children in Class One each weekend. One day he gets more than he bargained for when he falls unnoticed from a backpack and embarks on his own big adventure! He’s washed down a drain and whooshed out to sea, rescued by a fishing boat, loaded onto a lorry, carried off by a seagull . . . how will he ever make it back to Class One?

Each weekend our Everywhere Bear also goes home with a child. Along with the bear goes the story book and Everywhere Bear’s personal journey, to be added to by the child who is looking after the bear that weekend. We encourage parents to read the story to their child and then enjoy recording all the adventures that the bear has at their house. The journey includes photos, pictures, tickets and writing about what has happened, to be shared with the class when Everywhere Bear returns after the weekend.

This is an excellent book to encourage children to talk about and share their experiences with all the other children at Preschool. The bear’s journey is ever so popular and often the children will just sit and look through the book they have all contributed to, sharing thoughts and ideas. Children love to talk about people and places that are important to them, and recording their own bear’s journey is a great way to bring the story to life and encourage children to talk about their lives.

Everywhere Bear is very much looking forward to meeting all the new boys and girls starting at Overton Preschool this term, and sharing their adventures.