M Venkatesh in Mint
The cover itself will make you pick this book up. You
instinctively want to reach out to the cuddly teddy,
with his hands crossed at the back, as he looks out
enquiringly. Even if you are 100 years old.
Thorston Gustavus Bookridge III is Felicia’s bear.
He has lived with the family for three generations.
Both Felicia’s mother and grandmother were his
previous owners — sorry, “friends”.
Thorston has an interesting past. He is a castaway “German
bear”, that Felicia’s great-grandfather
picked up from a second-hand shop in England because
nobody wanted him. Germany wasn’t too popular
during the World War II.
Pinto’s narrative is through the eyes of the bear
as he moves from one generation to the next, changing
name and gender, too. To Felicia’s grandmother,
Lavinia, he is Fatty, while Felicia’s mother calls
the bear Betty. A teddy bear is a girl’s best
friend. As Pinto puts himself in the bear’s shoes,
what comes out is sheer magic.
There are gems such as: “Play checkers with your
friends. Play with your dolls alone,” advises
Thurston when Felicia’s plans to get her friends
to play with her toys and dolls — and keep them
happy — go slightly awry. Or, when Felica prefers
to carry Thurston with her than put him in a box when
they change homes. “I wished I were safe in the
box. A child may leave you in the taxi, in the lift,
in any of the places in between one house and another…”
Delightful though sometimes Pinto tends to lecture —
“Beautiful people (refers to a doll) often do
that. They become ugly inside since they only pay attention
to the outside.”
The story takes a sudden twist when it is discovered
that Thurston is a Steiff (bears made by the Margerite
Steiff Co.) from 1940 and is very valuable. Felicia’s
father is all for selling the bear and actually tries
to as there is a willing buyer. Can Thurston be saved?
This, says the introduction, is the editor, columnist
and poet's first book for bear cubs. There will be more,
hopefully.
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