Review - Loved to Bits

Loved to Bits
by Teresa Heapy
illustrated by Katie Cleminson
Date: 2018
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

A wonderfully exuberant teddy bear and his little boy go on all sorts of grand adventures collecting stories (and a few scrapes and bruises) along the way in Loved to Bits, a picture book about friendship from Teresa Heapy and Katie Cleminson.

Ted and his boy do everything together.
They fight beasts and have feasts.
They tickle monsters then flee on rafts,
They search, explore, escape.... and laugh.

But sometimes things get rough, and Teddy loses an ear.
He's still got his best one though, never fear!
And an eye? PING!
It's nothing—he didn't feel a thing!
A leg, then the other. An arm, and then the next.
What do you do with a broken Ted?

You lay down with him at night and snuggle in bed.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Oh, dear! I don't know whether to laugh or be horrified.

Loved to Bits is the story of Ted, a teddy bear who goes on so many adventures that he eventually loses all his limbs, one eye, one ear, and has all his stripes rubbed off. But, not to worry! His boy likes him better that way, just a worn-out ball and head filled with stuffing.

I guess it's an ode to the way some children love their toys until they're no longer recognizable. It's oddly macabre in spots, but also somewhat funny.

I think this book is going to have a very specific audience. I like it, and I'm sure some parents will get a chuckle. But for kids who can't bear the thought of something happening to a beloved toy, it might not be the best choice.

Quotable moment:

Premise: 4/5
Meter: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 5/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 4.14 out of 5