By Poonam Mistry (author) , Poonam Mistry (illustrator)
"A beautifully inspirational folktale about conservation and protection of nature."
Hardback In Stock £12.99 £11.69
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April 2026 Book of the Month
As the weather improves just a little bit, we have the perfect book to celebrate nature and the coming of Spring. With its intense and colourful cover and lavish internal spreads in Poonam’s distinctive, inimitable and intricately detailed style, which evokes the traditional Indian fabrics, furniture and paintings that she grew up with, this is an extraordinarily beautiful book.
We meet Bear living in his lush forest surrounded by wildlife, but one day the trees and flowers disappear and gradually so do all the animals. Bear is almost overcome with sadness, but then he spots a tiny seed and asking for advice from passing creatures, he plants and nurtures it lovingly until a fragile shoot appears.
The steps he takes reflect all the real stages needed for plants to grow, offering readers a gentle lesson in plant growth. He continues to guard and tend to his precious plant until he is overwhelmed by the need to hibernate. Waking in the Spring, his heart is filled with joy when he sees his seed has grown into a small sapling and from this small start life can start to gradually return to the forest.
Children will be absolutely entranced by the images, and the gentle lyrical text is a pleasure to read aloud. It will open up discussion about our responsibility to look after the earth and to talk about the environmental impact of destroying forests. But more importantly for young readers it will show them how important even small individual steps in conservation can be.
This would be ideal to launch an environment topic.
A gorgeously lyrical folktale about the importance of protecting our environment by Greenaway-shortlisted Poonam Mistry.
Read the full description
Bear lives in the bountiful forest, filled with breathtaking flowers and plants, and trees that tower up to the sun. One night, the trees and plants disappear and when the animals wake up, they begin to flee the forest in grief.
But when Bear finds a lonely seed, he works tirelessly to help it grow, seeking words of advice from the few animals that pass by. He shades it from the harsh wind and cold snowy season, but nature's power is unavoidable and soon it is time for him to hibernate. Bear hopes that by the time he wakes up, his determination will help the forest renew.
Poonam Mistry is a freelance illustrator living in the UK. She graduated in 2010 with a degree in Graphic Design and Illustration from the University of Hertfordshire. Her style incorporates her love of nature and her Indian roots and explores the relationships between pattern, shapes and colour. Poonam's upbringing and childhood have heavily influenced her work, in particular being surrounded by Indian fabrics, Kalamkari textiles, Madhubani paintings and hand painted ornaments. These patterns and intricate details are featured heavily in her style of work. She loves folklore tales and stories of Hindu Gods and Goddesses and these have been a rich source of inspiration in a number of her illustrations. Poonam's work is drawn by hand with black ink before she uses computer software to add colour and adjust the composition of her illustrations.
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A gorgeously lyrical folktale about the importance of protecting our environment by Greenaway-shortlisted Poonam Mistry.Bear lives in the bountiful forest, filled with breathtaking flowers and plants, and trees that tower up to the sun. One night, the trees and plants disappear and when the animals wake up, they begin to flee the forest in grief.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed The Bear and the Seed and determined it is suitable for children aged 3-8 years old
The Bear and the Seed features in the following genres: Featured Books for 3+ readers, Featured Books for 5+ readers, Featured Books for 7+ readers, Books of the Month, Recommendations, Star Books, Animal Stories, The Natural World, Wildlife, Ecological and Environmental Interest - Non Fiction, Gift Books, Picture storybooks, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Children’s picture books, Children’s: picture books, activity books, early learning concepts, Children’s / Teenage: General interest, Children’s / Teenage: Social issues / topics, Personal Social Health Economic (PSHE), Children’s / Teenage stationery and miscellaneous items
Hardback. £11.69, down from the £12.99 cover price. In Stock.
The Bear and the Seed was written by Poonam Mistry and published by Templar Books an imprint of Bonnier Books UK
The Bear and the Seed has 40 pages
£11.69, reduced from £12.99. In Stock.
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