The Bear by Raymond Briggs

By Raymond Briggs (author) , Raymond Briggs (illustrator)

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One night a great big, white polar comes to stay with Tilly. The bear's got black hooked claws and huge yellow teeth; but his white furry coat is warm and soft and Tilly decides he's the cuddliest thing in the whole world. Tilly soon finds out that a big bear can cause big problems - he takes a LOT of looking after! But when she describes the bear's latest antics to her parents they think he's a figment of her imagination - but is he?

From the creator of The Snowman, Father Christmas and Fungus the Bogeyman - now a live theatre show!

Raymond Briggs (1934-2022) was one of our most respected and beloved artists. Born in Wimbledon Park in 1934, he studied at the Wimbledon School of Art and later at the Slade School of Fine Art, and went on to produce a treasure trove of work. He created characters that are now icons for generations of children, including Fungus the Bogeyman, Father Christmas and, of course, the beloved Snowman.

He won many awards over his career including the Kurt Maschler Award, The Children's Book of the Year, Dutch Silver Pen Award, and the prestigious Kate Greenaway Award twice for his Mother Goose Nursery Treasury and Father Christmas.

Raymond Briggs was awarded the BookTrust 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award. The BookTrust Lifetime Achievement Award celebrates the body of work of an author or illustrator who has made an outstanding contribution to children's literature. The award was set up in 2015 to celebrate an author or illustrator's outstanding contribution to children's books. The first winner was Shirley Hughes, author of Dogger and the Alfie series, whilst Judith Kerr was awarded the accolade in 2016.

Discussing the impact of Raymond Briggs’ work, Judge Shami Chakrabarti said: "Raymond is a true artistic genius who has touched the hearts of millions of children of all ages. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words and his particular style of illustration is unmistakable as are his understated and poignant words of narrative and dialogue. His talent expresses his values and with his choice and treatment of subjects he brings our history and contemporary challenges to life."

The biography of his parents in graphic novel form, Ethel & Ernest, became a bestseller in the UK; see below a trailer for the animated feature film based on the novel.