Product Description

This work presents a delicious new treat from the brilliant Mini Grey, creator of "Egg Drop" and "The Pea and the Princess". When Horace bakes a biscuit in the shape of a bear, little does he know that his edible treat is going to turn into Biscuit Bear! For in the middle of the night, when all is quiet, that is exactly what happens, and Biscuit Bear decides that it is time he made some friends of his own. So, with flour, sugar and butter, he does just that. In fact, he makes a whole circus of friends and the fun begins.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #37778 in Books
• Published on: 2005-04-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

Review
" "In this charming tale told from the biscuit's point of view, Mini Grey creates a hugley satisfying night world where fear can be seen off and a biscuit can change its chances in life" - The Guardian "Enjoyable as much for the witty innocence of the pictures as the barking-mad originality of the prose" - The Independent "Mini Grey. one of the brightest new stars on the picture-book scene, seems to be incapable of producing a dull word or picture... Grey's text is beautifully matched by her clever visual jokes and inventive changes of perspective" - Financial Times "Mini Grey is one of the rising stars of children's illustration. Biscuit Bear... is visually scrumptious, a flavoursome mix of wit and skill" - The Sunday Times "A star turn" - The Observer "An original and amusing story that will have immense appeal for both children and adults... a beautifully-presented, engaging and funny book, which can't fail to be a hit with children everywhere" - Booktrusted News. "A totally original and highly entertaining new picture story by a talented author-artist" - Northern Echo "This is an outrageously quirky tale" - Junior "A truly scrumptious picture book with all the right ingredients; sophisticated, surreal and wonderfully anarchic" - Books for Keeps"

From the Back Cover
The life of a biscuit is usually short and sweet . . .but can Biscuit Bear beat the odds?

"One of the brightest stars on the picture book scene" FINANCIAL TIMES

"Enjoyable as much for the witty innocence of the pictures as the barking-mad originality of the prose" INDEPENDENT

A delicious new treat from the creator of Egg Drop, The Pea and the Princess (Shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal) and Traction Man is Here

About the Author
Mini Grey was given her name after being born in a Mini in a car park in Newport, Wales. She studied for an MA in Sequential Illustration at Brighton under the tutelage of John Vernon Lord. When she is not writing and illustrating, Mini works part-time as a primary school teacher in Oxford, where she now lives.

Customer Reviews

Horace's usual routine with the lump of pastry, his Mum gives him
is changed, by a teddy-shaped biscuit cutter!

Paperback format, 32 pages in the popular `two-page spread' format.
Superb illustrations throughout, with lots of text, in a number of fonts.....

Main text example:-
`But today, Horace's Mum gave him a biscuit cutter in the shape of a bear to use.
Horace stamped out a pastry bear and gave it currant eyes and a nose.
Horace's Mum put it in the oven to cook.......
Twenty minutes later the biscuit bear was golden-coloured and smelt lovely, and Horace wanted to take a bite but-'

and easy to remember,repetitive use of speech:-
"No, Horace," said Horace's Mum, "you.............", as Horace`s various attempts to eat his biscuit are thwarted............

and so begins the adventures of 'Biscuit Bear`, with a surprise ending, although it might be a little hard for the younger reader to comprehend!

A Bear Necessity
We received this as a gift for our two-year old daughter, on the basis that it was her cousin's (who is three) favourite book. We had never heard of it before but regular recitals have quickly grown to be a bedtime necessity.

The book is not astoundingly well written, but it eludes a certain atmosphere, a warm but slightly mysterious charm that draws children in and makes it interesting for imaginative adults too. There is plenty to see and speak about on each page, and fun can be had trying to bake your own biscuit bears!

Our daughter is a connoisseur of the literary classics - Each Peach, Elmer, Hungry Caterpillar - she's studied them all. But this is the one she picks out of the pile when she's alone, to ponder quietly in her bedroom.

Quietly apart from the odd "No Horace!"

Endearingly surreal
This is one of those books which my daughter (aged 7) has had from the library again and again ... now it's on the Christmas list. It's simple yet sophisticated and has a lovely quirky humour as well as multiple illustrations that dance around the page and text that circles and changes typeface in tune with the story. It's not all sugary sweetness and light and endures better for that reason: Biscuit Bear escapes being eaten and stages a circus in the kitchen only to see his circus performers demolished by the arrival of the family dog, who likes biscuits as well. He himself is a survivor, however, and finds a safe home as the everlasting star of the 'Golden Bun' bakery display. My daughter loves it all. If your child likes this, try also Mini Grey's The Adventures of the Dish and the Spoon - another favourite here, which will equally delight parents who are familiar with old movies ...