Advantages: Lovely personal gift!
Disadvantages: None that I can think of..

...give bears to children under three for safety reasons and so my mate was ordered to treat his bear as an orniment type of thing for a few years.. A bit about, the bear factory.. It originated in Hamleys store in London. And has Ted the tailor's workshop where all the magic takes place. Store Locations are in and around England Scotland and Wales as well as around the world. The Bear factory has a website; it offers online ordering and delivers all over the place for around £3.50 per bear. I couldn't find out when the company actually began, I could have emailed the company to find out. The website shows you all the items you can buy in the shops, it is easy to shop online and is secure. You can now get baby bears too, they are the same as the normal ones but smaller.. Simple isn't it.. All facts on this page have been... Read review

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Advantages: A cute cuddly friend, a great shopping experience
Disadvantages: It can be expensive

...do not recommend the bears for under threes. And if the bear itself becomes a little grubby, it is not recommendable to wash it at all. I've had my bear for 3 years and it is still as good as new! *** Customer Service *** I am a strong believer in good customer service, and I can honestly say that Bear Factory staff have some of the best customer service staff on the highstreet. Everytime I have been in the store there has always been a member of staff on hand to greet me, and ask if I need assistance in due course. *** Bear Factory online *** Although I strongly recommend buying a bear from the shop, you can avoid the Christmas rush by purchasing online. Although I have never done this myself, it looks very straightforward, with charges being £3.50 per bear if sent into Europe or £6.50 if sent abroad. There are many outfits... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Wonderful story
Disadvantages: Too quiet for some children?

...and her parents visit the Zoo, and Tilly’s favourite teddy bear is accidentally knocked into the Bear’s enclosure. That night, something appears at Tilly’s bedroom window – it is the Bear, come to return her teddy. Tilly welcomes him in and she and the huge polar bear somehow snuggle down in her bed to sleep. The next day, when Tilly’s parents have left for work, she looks after the Bear. It isn’t easy looking after such a huge animal in secret, especially when she discovers a huge pile of poo on the landing and a puddle of wee in the bathroom. That night, the Bear sees the North Star calling to him. Tilly doesn’t want to be left behind, so she and the Bear set off for a magical adventure through the snowy night. The Star Bear (Ursa Major) appears, and the three of them journey through the sky before, sadly, it is time for the Bear... Read review

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Advantages: delightful story and illustrations
Disadvantages: none

...the bear doctor, dressing up and all sorts of other fun things. All these bears look like they are having a fantastic time, but to me the best picture is at the very end where there are two bears having a bedtime hug. I'm sure that picture would melt even the hardest heart! We also enjoyed the language in this book which is very accessible to young children. Every other page includes a short rhyme which is always very helpful for developing listening and early phonic skills. My eldest daughter who is nearly five was very good at this, and the youngest, at just three had a good attempt too. The print is quite large so there are not too many words on any page. Some of these are bigger or in capitals for emphasis such as when it talks about bears making lots of NOISE! You can't help but read that word loudly! I have read this book with both... Read review

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Advantages: Smooth and creamy taste, Fresh Milk, Less than 1% fat
Disadvantages: Vanilla flavour can be hard to find

...Once upon a time in a far off country, there lived a little girl called collingwood21. One day, she was sitting at her computer and you would have thought she would have been as happy as can be, and quite contented to stay where she was instead of wanting to run about the world meddling with other people’s property. But as it was, she was a mischievous little girl and could not resist going out into the woods at the back of her house. It was such a warm, pleasant day that she wandered on and on, until she came to a part of the wood she had never seen before. Now, in this part of the woods there stood a house, and in this house there lived three bears. There was the Papa bear, who was very big, the mama bear who was middling sized, and the baby bear, who was teeny tiny. But little collingwood21 did not know this, as when she... Read review

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Advantages: your own individual bear created before your very eyes
Disadvantages: can be pricey

...The Bear Factory is a great idea for a store but also a bit of a rip off at the same time. Saying that, i still am a proud owner of one of their bears!!! I do believe that if you are going to own a teddy bear, be it just one, then you should get a bear factory bear as they are the best. Upon entering the store you are greeted by loads of different stalls, each containing a teddy bear without its stuffing. There is quite a good selection to choose from ranging from dogs, monkeys, bears ect The prices of selecting your bears "skin", as it is refered to, ranges from £8.99 for a tiny one, up to £15.99. I chose a "skin" which was £12.99. After this selection you take it to the workshop at the back of the store to get made. The worker gives you three choices on how you want the bear to be stuffed ( soft, medium and hard). I chose... Read review

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Advantages: Good animation, good story
Disadvantages: Lacks charm, average soundtrack

...Disney are giving up on animated features and this film along with the more recent 'Home on the Range' will probably be one of the last from the studio. After such a long history of innovative and groundbreaking films from Snow White, Bambi, Jungle Book to the Lion King how does Brother Bear compare to these past successes? THE STORY In the distant past just after the last Ice Age when Mammoths still roamed the North American plains three brothers live in a small Inuit community, their life is simple and attuned to nature. After a tragic event leads an attack by a bear and the death on one of their number Kenai one of the brothers feeling partly responsible seek revenge and kill the bear. On finding the bear through a magical event Kenai is transformed into a Bear and his older brother Denahi thinking Kenai dead start tracking his... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Highly entertaining, The web site keeps children interested for longer
Disadvantages: Having an 8 year old who says I need a recipe to make her packed lunch!

...'It was a special day for Mr. Wolf...' Of course it was a special day, it was Baby Bears birthday and Mr Wolf was having the three Bears for tea. Not literally you understand, no this is a nice wolf, not one of those big bad growling, snarling beasts that frequent the pages of children's story books. This Mr Wolf is kind and gentle, so kind in fact that he's busily planning a great big birthday party for Baby Bear. You can see how kind he is just by looking at him, he has one of those faces, all happy and jolly and he's dressed in the most delightful blue and white polka dot shirt teamed up with a pair of very bright yellow trousers. So you see, he can't be bad can he? Not dressed like that anyway, why children would be far too busy laughing at him to even think about being scared. So today is Baby Bears birthday, it... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: everything!
Disadvantages: only the cost

...them. Incidentally, my Mum called her bear Bella and chose a red dress, hat and glasses. My youngest daughter chose a black and white cat, dressed it in a pink ballet costume and called it Tiny. As for Zoë, she’s sat in my bedroom, frowning that the clothes I picked aren’t quite her taste and wishing she was in something more manly and called Will. *********************** Check out the website at www.bearfactory.co.uk or email enquiries@bearfactory.co.uk Toys not suitable for under-threes. Sponge clean the toys. Gentle cycle machine wash for the clothes. Parties available – see website for details. Stores at Bluewater, Brighton, Bristol (2), Bromley, Crawley, Glasgow, Kingston, Lakeside, London (Hamleys), Manchester, Merryhill, Milton Keynes, Newcastle (2), Norwich, Nottingham, Peterborough... Read review

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Advantages: Lovely story of a camping holiday that doesn't always go to plan
Disadvantages: none

...***Background*** I first discovered Debi Gliori through the Woodland Friends series of board books, which all had shiny bits of silver and gold on the pages. If you're a regular reader of my reviews then you'll probably recognise her name from them, as I was most impressed by the rhyming books. This Mr Bear series is published by Orchard Books and there are 5 of them in total. They are very different from the board books, which are aimed at younger children, as these have proper stories in them, all about the character Mr Bear. ***The Story*** The story starts with Small Bear getting a postcard from her friends who are on holiday. She then thinks what a good idea it would be to go on a holiday. Mr Bear thinks a tent would be the perfect thing to spend a holiday in and the family decide to get everything ready... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful