Teddy Bear of the Year

The teddy bears' picnic gets a modern twist in this warm and fuzzy picture book about a young teddy bear who learns that small acts of kindness can make a big difference.

Ollie is a regular bear with a regular job. He listens to his girl's stories about her days, he snuggles her to sleep and he is there waiting when she gets home from school. Just your typical teddy bear stuff. So when he is whisked away to the annual teddy bears' picnic, he feels insignificant compared to the other bears who do daring and daunting things: sleepovers, hospital stays--even a night in the lost and found!

After small talk with a regional stuffing manager, a department of cuddling official and a stitchery inspector; a stop at the snack table; and even some team building activities, it's time for the teddy bear service awards . . . and Ollie feels even more small and unimportant. But he soon learns that it's not just the big things that matter, it's the little things too.

While parents will love the tongue-in-cheek office-party details, kids and parents alike will fall in love with Ollie: a sweet bear who discovers that his love for his girl makes him very special indeed.

VIKKI VANSICKLE is the author of a number of acclaimed novels for children including Words That Start With B, Summer Days, Starry Nights, the award-winning The Winnowing and the adorable picture book If I Had a Gryphon. Vikki started her career as a bookseller at The Flying Dragon, and she now balances her writing career with her job as Marketing Director at Penguin Random House Canada Young Readers. Vikki lives in Toronto with a cat named Barb who does not care for teddy bears OR magic.

SYDNEY HANSON was raised in Minnesota alongside numerous pets and brothers. When she wasn't tunneling through snowdrifts or rescuing frogs from rain gutters, she was drawing. In addition to illustrating her favorite things--animals, the natural world, and, of course, teddy bears--Sydney is an experienced 2D and 3D production artist. Sydney lives in Vancouver with her newest brother, a Labrador retriever named Cash.