Yancy and Bear

Ted McGee is an associate professor of English at St. Jerome’s
College, University of Waterloo.

Children’s imaginative play is at the heart of this story about a boy
and a teddy bear who exchange places, so that as Bear comes to life,
Yancy becomes a toy. This role reversal reveals the everyday experiences
of both the child and his stuffed animal. When, for example, “Bear
fell off the tricycle and hurt himself. Yancy fell too, but he didn’t
feel a thing”; Bear responds as Yancy would have, applying Band-Aids
to himself, his “toy,” and their tricycle.

The humorous details of this incident are in the pictures, not in the
words, which is typical of the work as a whole. The illustrations also
clarify emotion; depict the chaos that creative, playful children
create; and tell the story of Yancy’s grandfather (the caregiver for
the day), who works around the house and garden while Yancy and Bear
play. The book’s informal design coheres nicely with the warm,
good-humored tone of the story. Recommended.