Summary

"The Teddy Bear had a good home . . . a warm, cozy place to sleep . . . many friends . . . and someone who loved him."
The little boy and his teddy bear were always together. Every night, when the little boy went to sleep, his teddy bear was right there next to him. When the little boy went on a trip, his teddy bear went too-until one terrible day when the teddy bear was left behind . . .
This is the wonderful story of a friend who is lost and found and lost and found again, and of a little boy who begins to understand the meaning of compassion.

Henry Holt and Company

Predictions/Wonderings - There are places in the book that predictions can be made.  Have students predict what will happen to the bear when he is left on the floor in the diner.  Make predictions on the page where the bearded man discovers that "his" bear is lost.

Questioning - The illustrations in this book continue the story, adding more depth to the simple words.  Have students reflect on the differences that are shown in the little boy's home life and the bearded man's life on the streets.

Making Connections - Have students read and look at other David McPhail located in the E McP section of the Media Center.  Read Where's My Teddy by Jez Alborough and compare the two stories.
 

Interesting & New Vocabulary - Listed below are some words or phrases that you may want to discuss with your students before you begin to read the story.
confusion
     forgetfulness
     despairing
     rejoiced
     ambled
     occupy
     wailing

Interesting Quotes & Topics for Discussion

• Connections to our August B.O.M., The Ticky Tacky Doll

• The daily activities of the “bearded man” – finding the bear in the trash can, sleeping in the dumpster, spending his days alone in the park – how did the teddy bear change his daily routine?

• “The boy still missed his teddy bear, but with each passing day, he thought about him less and less.”

• “Then they saw the bearded man approaching.  ‘Come along,’ said the father. ‘Mustn’t be late,’ said the mother.  And they all walked quickly toward the park exit.”  Why did the parents seem to move the boy quickly along, away from the stranger?

• “I know what you mean,’ said the little boy.  ‘I used to have one just like him.’”  Did the boy really have one “just like him” or was that his bear?  Why did the boy return the bear to the bearded man?  Why didn’t he argue with the bearded man and try to keep the bear?

• How did the boy, the bear, and the bearded man each feel once the bear was returned to the bearded man?

Organization

• The story is organized in chronological order, progressing through time.

• Transition words/phrases are used to help show the passage of time – by the time…long hours passed…spent the rest of the day…night came on…in the morning…Days passed.  Weeks went by, then months…The winter came to an end.  The days grew warmer.

• Ask students to write their own retelling of the story, making sure to tell it from beginning to end.  For young students, offer them teddy bear shaped cookies and turn the story into a rebus, substituting a cookie for each occurrence of the word “teddy bear”.

• Mix It Up lesson (p. 94) – You may write down the main events in the story, or have students brainstorm and write down the main events, and then have students work together or individually to put them back together in the correct sequence.

• Putting It In Order (p. 94) – Have individual students say aloud or write down different parts of the story, then reassemble the story for the whole class to hear/see.  Continue moving students around as their event is recalled, making sure to put the events in the correct order.  (Did that event come before______, or after ______?)

Voice

• The story is written in the third person, with a narrator recounting the events from “outside.”  Have students retell the story from the point of view of the bear, the boy, or the bearded man.  The details and emotions will change depending on the voice of the narrator.

• Have students extend the ending of the story, giving voice to one or all of the characters.  How did each character react to the ending?  What did the bear, boy, or bearded man think or feel when the boy returned the bear to the man?  What would they say if they had a chance to see each other again?

• Invite students to write a letter from the boy to the bear, from the bear to the boy, or from the man to the boy.  Encourage them to use their “voice” to explain how they feel and what they would say to one another.

Author Biography - In David McPhail's autobiography, In Flight With David McPhail, the author describes how he goes through the process of writing and illustrating books.  Have the students compare his writing process to the writing process that they use.
 

• Discuss how the child's compassion for the bearded man was an example for his parents.  Click here for other books about kindness and compassion. 

• Follow up the reading of The Teddy Bear with a viewing of the video Compassion, a story that teaches the significance of helping those in need.

• Use the Student Council's Halloween costume drive for Must Ministries as example of showing compassion.

• Find out the history of the Teddy Bear and more by clicking on this link.  This WebQuest was written by elementary students in a Georgia school.  The site includes the history of the teddy bear, information about Theodore Roosevelt, a teddy bear timeline, and fun activities.

• After exploring the site above, have the students take a Teddy Bear quiz!

• Explore the meaning of idioms containing the word bear by clicking here.

• Click here for a short reading passage about teddy bears and then have students complete the multiple choice questions to check their reading comprehension.

• Click here for a look at the newspaper cartoon that is believed to be the influence for the first "Teddy's Bear".

• Check out the book, Bears, Bears, Everywhere by Rita Milios and use teddy bear counters to count the bears in the story.

• Explore the book, Teddy Bears:  From Start to Finish by Tanya Lee Stone to find out how a teddy bear is made.

• Find out if any students have made their own bear at "Build-a-Bear".  Have them bring the bear to class and share their experience.