Bear Shaped
It all began with a Tweet. A seven year old boy called Jack had lost his teddy bear. But this was no ordinary bear. Jack has autism and Bear was his bridge between himself and other people. Jack’s dad put the tweet out hoping somebody, somewhere might have seen his toy. I felt moved to do a quick drawing of Bear as some kind of small comfort for Jack. I met Jack shortly after this. He’s a remarkable boy. We could all learn from his good heart. He inspired me to write - and illustrate - my first ever book.
Bear Shaped was published by Oxford Children’s Books in April 2020. I will forever be grateful for their patience with a new writer.
It has so far been translated into Welsh, Hebrew, Greek, and Dutch.
A Chinese translation will be available soon.
What People Are Saying
“A heart-breaking and heart-warming tale of loss and kindness. Order it for the child in your life and anyone you know who might have lost something/someone special”
— Sarah Crossan, Children’s Laureate of Ireland
“I’m blown away. It’s incredible. Can’t wait to send Y6 to read it to every single class.”
— Ashley Booth. The Teaching Booth
“Delicate, timeless artwork cleverly incorporates all sorts of satisfying details to explore and discuss…A universal story of friendship, loss and growing up.”
— Alexandra Strick, BookTrust
“An exceptionally written,deeply insightful, beautifully illustrated story of a child’s experience of loss… As a grief expert, this book will be at the top of my recommended good grief booklist for a long time.”
— Dr Shelley Gilbert MBE. Founder, Grief Encounter
“…utterly disarming and touching. Jack’s autism is implicit but never exploited.”
— Jane Asher. President, National Autistic Society
“Her stunning illustrations add the perfect level of softness and warmth.”
— Library girl and book boy
