Two Bad Teddies

PreS—This title continues the story of Gruffy Ted and Tilly Ted, the audacious pair of stuffed animals introduced in Two Tough Teddies (Little Hare, 2010). In this installment, their loving toddler caretaker, Mollie-Sue, receives a package from Grandma. Inside is handsome, stretchy-armed Bendy Bill, a squeaky eggplant-headed intruder. Typically, Gruffy and Tilly are extremely jealous, scheming to get rid of Bill any way they can. When hiding him and painting him fail, the Teddies plot to knock off his silly hat, which results in Gruffy falling out a nearby window. Bendy Bill's stretchy arms come to the rescue, and all is resolved with a big hug. Simple, blurred watercolors and white backgrounds help draw attention to the main characters. However, the bears' mean faces are somewhat distressing, especially when paired with Bendy Bill's vacant wide-eyed smile. Try Kevin Henkes's Julius, the Baby of the World (HarperCollins, 1995) for a meaningful lesson on sibling rivalry and jealousy.—Jasmine L. Precopio, Fox Chapel Area School District, Pittsburgh, PA