Barty Barton by Sue Wickstead – Review

• Title: Barty Barton: The Bear That Was Loved Too Much
• Author: Sue Wickstead
• Publisher: Jay Jay Books on October 27, 2020
• Genre: Children’s Book
• Pages: 19
• Formats Available: Paperback & Digital
• Rating: 5/5

Trigger Warnings: None

Many thanks to Sue Wickstead and Rachel’s Random Resources for providing me with a digital copy of Barty Barton with a request for an honest review.

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Barty Barton Blurb

What happens when we outgrow our teddy bears?

Should we let them go?

Thomas loved his teddy bear, but over the years, Barty had become tatty and old. 

However, Barty was no ordinary teddy bear, and he wasn’t about to give up on being loved.

Provided by Rachel’s Random Resources for Tour Use

My Review

Sue Wickstead’s Barty Barton is a delightful children’s book that brings out the magic of old toys. Who doesn’t have a tatty old bear somewhere in their childhood memories? There is a special bond between a child and their toys, one that never breaks. No matter how old you get, you never forget that one joyous toy.

Barty Barton is a well-loved bear. He is Thomas’s bear, and Thomas loves Barty so much that his fluff gets squooshed down. Not only his fluff, but his nose is off-center, and his poor bow looks ratty. But, Thomas grows up and no longer needs Barty. Thomas tells his mom he doesn’t want Barty anymore. But, mom is a smart cookie and knows that Barty will find love again one day. Mom cleans Barty up, fixes his nose, and fills him full of fluffy stuffing. Barty even gets a brand new ribbon. He’s all spruced up and waiting for his new owner.

This book is absolutely adorable. There is a strong Velveteen Rabbit meets Toy story vibe to it that is endearing and sweet. I wish Barty could come live with me. He would find all the love he could get at my house.

The illustrations are fantastic. You get to see Barty transform right before your eyes in drawings that bring him to life. The colors are so vibrant you feel as though Barty is going to burst through the page.

I award Barty Barton 5 out of 5 stars. His story makes bedtime cuddles a guarantee. I can’t imagine any child who wouldn’t love to have their own copy of Barty.

Barty Swag Giveaway

Giveaway to Win a  Lego bear and some teddy bear colouring sheets (UK) plus a few more goodies.

Click Here to Enter

*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

About the Author – Sue Wickstead

Sue Wickstead is a teacher and an author and writes children’s picture books with a bus theme. She has also written a photographic history book about the real bus, which is where her story writing began.

Sue once worked with a playbus charity based in Crawley. This led her to write the photographic history book about the project. The ‘Bewbush Playbus’ book was published in 2012.

Sue then began to write a fictional tale about the bus. ‘Jay-Jay the Supersonic Bus’, his number plate JJK261 gave him his name and has now been followed by more picture books (ten to date) which all indeed have a bus connection as well as links to her teaching journey.

Gloria is the most recent bus book and is based on the summer play-schemes which operated during the school holidays providing a safe place to play and to meet other children. (published 2020)

‘Barty Barton; the bear that was loved too much’ was also published in 2020. Barty was written for both her son and grandson.

Some of Sue’s books have been entered and shortlisted in ‘The Wishing Shelf Book Awards’, her book ‘A Spooky Tale’ was a silver medal winner in 2019. It is a story written with her class in school and is aimed at the younger reader. 

Author’s Contact Links: Website | Facebook (Author Page) | Facebook (Playbus Page) | Twitter | Instagram