The Teddy Bear Habit

by James Lincoln Collier

Book Overview

A twelve-year-old boy, whose problems include having to take "Square" music lessons, an attachment to a childhood teddy bear, and a father who earns a living creating comic strips, gets involved with... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0786815434
• ISBN13: 9780786815432
• Release Date: June 2001
• Publisher: Volo
• Length: 236 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.2" x 7.6"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

The Book That Made Me A Reader

Back when I was in grammar school (I'm 45 now), my teacher asked me what I would like to read. I had friends who liked Tom Swift and Nancy Drew but I did not have a preference nor a love of reading. She handed me this book and said I would like it. She was absolutely right. I was so wrapped up in it that I read it over one weekend and asked if I could borrow it again. I read the book three times and was hooked. It was the first time that I was able to "see" the story as I was reading. Within a few months I was devouring every book I could get my hands on and have every since. Seeing this entry made me very nostalgic. A great, great book for getting your kids to read.

Still funny after 35 years!

I had this book (1973 edition illustrated by L. Lorenz) as a child and recently dragged it out to read to my 9-year-old son at bedtime. He typically prefers nonfiction (yes, we read that too), but I thought he might like this one. He's loving it! I've had to explain a few things -- like the late 60's slang sprinkled through, and why live TV was such a big deal, and George's dad's obsession with Jackson Pollack -- but he gets it, and we've had some great discussions about popular culture, modern art, self-confidence, placebos, and what makes a family. We are both amused by George's frequent exaggerations, like "Pop would have me drawn and quartered on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and tortured on opposite days." And then, of course, there's the gripping story of George's run-in with jewel thieves. Will he get out of this alive? Will the teddy? Will George ever become a winner? Of course -- and so is this book.

The best book about a boy and his bear

This is my favorite book from childhood. George Stable is an amazing character. He is introspective and self-depricatory, creative and extremely perceptive. Somehow Collier makes his character believable despite George's young age. I love the humor in the book; the crazed bohemian artist of a father, the strange world inhabited by child performers and their dreadful parents, and criminals who can never seem to do anything right.The illustrations by Lee Lorenz are wonderful. Mr. Lorenz was a cartoonist for the New Yorker AND had graduated from my high school. I decided to use an excerpt from the book as my Senior Year Book quote.

I love this book

I loved this book as a kid, and I love it still. A few years ago I hunted down a copy from the publisher, since I never had the nerve to steal it from my local library!It's a great story about a boy in the Village in the '60s, and how he learns to be play the guitar and be cool. There are jewel thieves and Ed Sullivan lookalikes and all sorts of zany things, as well as cool illustrations.I'd love to get my hands on another copy to give to my 10 year old niece.

Excellent book for age group 9-14

This is more of a comment than a review, but this book is not for the baby-preschool set as indicated, but rather an excellent story for the late-elementary/junior high age group. It deals with a Greenwich Village boy in the mid 60's who lives with his bohemian-artist father, and who accidentally gets wrapped up in a jewel theft. The underlying theme is his inability to shake his dependence on a childhood teddy bear. Many great 60's references including a Beatles style rock group which he auditions for and the Greenwich Village arts scene. Great illustrations, too.