The Bear Behind

The bestselling story that will help ease those starting school worries, with lots of laugh-out-loud moments to get little ones excited for school.

Meet Ivor, a little boy in a big world, who absolutely, categorically, definitely does NOT like any sort of attention. So it's more than a minor catastrophe for Ivor to discover on his very first day of school that he has a great big . . .

BEAR BEHIND!

And as the bumbling bear begins to cause chaos and calamity, Ivor's hope for a normal first day at school quickly fades . . .

From colouring name tags to storytime and dressing up, finding the toilet to making friends at play time, this will give readers a little taste of what to expect on their first day of school . . . just without the pesky Bear Behind!

A hilarious story that will encourage children to find their voice at school, written by Sam Copeland, bestselling author of Charlie Changes into a Chicken, and larger-than-life illustrations by Pippa Curnick, creator of the award-winning Indigo Wilde series.

A two-time Top 10 Official Indie Children's Bestseller in 2023 (via Litalist, Sept and Nov 2023)

A delightful and fun book... a perfect book for nervous little ones! Waterstones Canterbury
A great book to read on the first day of school! -- The Kids Bookstagrammer
I would really recommend this book for any parent with a child starting school -- Life of Charlie James - Instagram
A fun but reassuring read -- Jaxon_and_us - Instagram

Sam Copeland (Author)

Sam Copeland is an author, which has come as something of a shock to him. He is from Manchester and now lives in London with two smelly cats, three smelly children and one relatively clean smelling wife. His bestselling book Charlie Changes Into a Chicken was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize, longlisted for the Blue Peter Book Award and nominated for the Branford Boase Award. The Bear Behind, illustrated by Pippa Curnick is his first picture book. Despite legal threats, he refuses to stop writing.

Pippa Curnick (Illustrator)

Pippa Curnick grew up in rural Essex and studied at Camberwell College of Art. She graduated from the University of Derby with a First Class degree in illustration. Pippa's picture book Lucie Goose was shortlisted for the Evening Standard's Oscar's First Book Prize. Her website is and you can follow her on Insta @pippa_curnick and on Twitter @PippaCurnick

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