Changes

One day, Gold Ted falls into a puddle. It's quite a deep puddle and the water is swirling. Poor Ted starts to spin around and around and is sucked down a drain on the side of the street. Finding himself  down in the sewer, Ted starts to panic. ''OH HELP ME PLEASE'' he cries and alerts the attention of Reg the sewer rat, who plucks him out of the dirty water using his cane, which might look just a bit like an old cricket bat. Reg is a kind soul and he dries Ted off and warms him up with a nice bowl of broth. 

Life in the sewers is a lot more luxurious than Ted had ever dreamed it could be. Reg even has a salvaged gold tablecloth! But it's not home and Ted longs to be back home with his best friend Ronnie. So kindly Reg promises to help him cross the city of Gloucester and find his way home...

... oh, this is ''such'' a sweet story. Told in a bouncing rhyme that's easy to read aloud, it speaks of kindness and friendship and the desire for home and comfort. It's nice to see a male central character being the one to offer care to a lost little one and Reg overflows with gentle reassurance and respect for Ted's youth and fears:

See what I mean?!

Does Ted get back home to Ronnie? And what of Reg? You'll have to read the book to find out.

''Little Gold Ted'' is a product of lockdown! I'm writing this review during the UK's third period of lockdown due to the covid pandemic and I think we can all agree that 2020 wasn't the best of years. But there are silver linings if you care to look and we all need a silver lining or two. Author Vanessa Wiercioch has two very talented twin daughters in Poppy and Sasha and they have used their lockdown time and cancelled exams to illustrate their mother's story about a lost little teddy bear's adventures around their home city of Gloucester. And lovely illustrations they are, too, in calming, soothing, pastel colours that will be perfect for bedtime. I love the depictions of Ted and Reg the rat, which are ever-so-slightly bedraggled and almost tactile. You want to reach out and stroke them!  There are all sorts of little details - butterflies, insects, spare socks, blossom on trees - which will encourage young readers to return again and again.

Little Gold Ted is a lovely story, heartwarming, slightly eccentric, full of local detail and with a gentle kindness that will reassure children living in a time with all sorts of worries and fears. I thought it was fabulous and hope to see Ted in more stories soon.

You can read more about Poppy and Sasha's lockdown [https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/news/gloucester-news/gloucester-twin-sisters-publish-childrens-4829638 here].

One of our favourite sharing stories about a beloved stuffed toy is [[The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams and Sarah Massini|The Velveteen Rabbit]].