Step into the magical world of Bartie Bristle and friends in this stunning treasury written by the Teddy Bear Ladies, Julie Tatchell and Amanda Middleditch, best known as stars of the BBC’s The Repair Shop.

Set in a village in the heart of the Old Woods, the magical world of the teddy bear shop and the heart-warming stories of Bartie and his teddy bear friends will captivate children and parents alike.

Julie Tatchell and Amanda Middleditch are best known as “the Teddy Bear Ladies” on the much-loved BBC show The Repair Shop. But before they joined the repair team in the BBC barn they ran a business restoring soft toys from their shop in a beautiful little village. The shop’s logo featured Julie’s sketch of an adorable bear, which Amanda made into a teddy known as Bartie Bristle.

Julie and Amanda began writing short stories all about Bartie Bristle and the other favourite toys for the children that came to their shop, with Julie reimagined as Mrs T and Amanda as Rose.

I have a confession to make, I have never watched The Repair Shop so I didn’t know who Bartie Bristle was. However, not having seen the show doesn’t subtract from the adorable tales that are within this book each featuring a very special teddy bear.

The book features six stories starting with ‘Welcome, Bartie Bristle!’ in which Bartie gets his name. Each story features glorious artwork alongside beautiful words.

The book has an old-fashioned feel to it and reminded me of the stories I read forty years ago. It is a heartwarming and heart-felt book and it leaves you feeling happy.

Overall, Bartie Bristle and Other Stories: Tales from the Teddy Bear Ladies is a book that would make the perfect bedtime story, and given that it contains six stories this is six nights’ worth of reads from one book. It is super sweet and just perfect for young readers.

Julie Tatchell is a teddy bear and soft toy restorer, working with Amanda Middleditch and more commonly known as The Teddy Bear Ladies from the BBC 1 show, The Repair Shop. They have been working together since 2006. When they are not working together, Julie enjoys time in the countryside. She loves all things nature and walking her dogs. Given the chance, she loves to visit craft fairs and antique emporiums.

Amanda Middleditch is a teddy bear and soft toy restorer, working with Julie Tatchell, and more commonly known as The Teddy Bear Ladies from the BBC 1 show, The Repair Shop. They have been working together since 2006. When they are not working together, Amanda loves to spend time sewing and embroidering in her little home studio. She is more of a towny but is always happy to share the excitement of a vintage shopping trip with Julie (tea and cake always essential!).