cover image I Love You, Christopher Bear

I Love You, Christopher Bear

Stephanie Jeffs. Augsburg Fortress Publishers, $5.99 (32pp) ISBN 978-0-8066-4366-3

A trio of titles in the handsize paper-over-board Tales of Christopher Bear series by Stephanie Jeffs, illus. by Jacqui Thomas, links a boy's love for his teddy bear to divine love. In I Love You, Christopher Bear, Joe loses Christopher Bear but the joyful reunion prompts Mom to explain just how much God loves everyone; A Bad Day for Christopher Bear! occasions a similar lesson about seeking forgiveness from individuals and from God; and in Christopher Bear's First Christmas, the bear follows along as Joe's preschool class enacts a simple Nativity pageant. (Sept.)