This was such a lovely book. I had absolutely no idea it would make me cry! I have a little story to tell you to explain why I cried. In the process of moving last year, we were moving things from the attic and I had a box of cherished stuffed animals from when I was a child. One of them was my teddy bear, Theodore, my first teddy bear that I received when I was a newborn baby. When I looked at the box, I noticed that it was wet and when I opened it, horror awaited. My teddy bear had gotten wet and had disintegrated into almost nothing. I cried and cried. Of course, the one leaky spot in the attic had to be above that box. =O( So, when I got to a certain point in Wise Bear William, it made me think of that and also how much I loved my teddy when I was growing up. For a children's book to evoke this kind of emotion in an adult is a powerful thing. Now don't get me wrong. The book is not meant to be sad and it's not sad, really. It just caused that kind of reaction in me.

I read the book with my sons and they really liked it too. They said their favorite characters were Calico Kitty and Wise Bear William and the parts they liked best were when Wise Bear William was chosen and how Rag Doll Rose looked after William fixed her up. I was impressed with the book because it really kept their interest. They are 9 and 10 so they are starting to outgrow this type of book, but it was written so well and kids can tell when a book is well written.

Wise Bear William is not a Christmas book, but it is a good book to read with your children at Christmas because it teaches that helping others is important and that rewards can come to you, even when you think all is lost. Wise Bear William is the voice of hope throughout the book and hope is a good thing to read about during Christmas. I highly recommend this book. ( )

Wise Bear William is the captain of the attic where worn out toys wait for children to come for them. The Campbell’s have an old family tradition. For generations, their children come to the attic to choose one toy to love. When the children grow up the toys are sent back to the attic.
When the toys hear the children coming, Rag Doll Rose, Bean Bag Bunny and Calico Kitty depend on Wise Bear William to get them ready. The captain would use everything in the attic to mend them and tell them all he knows about what makes a child love a toy. They have one chance to be a child’s best friend. But there is one thing that they can’t do anything about: not everyone will be picked. The toys begin to get ready replacing missing eyes, propping up droopy ears and mending all rips and tears.
Wise Bear William’s words of wisdom that it’s what is on the inside that counts, and everyone is special ring true for not only the toys but for the book’s readers as well. This is a sweet, charming and humorous story!
WISE Bear William: A New Beginning! is well written and the illustrations are vivid and beautiful. It’s an entertaining story for its readers of all ages that includes a lesson about compassion, remembering promises and helping others and it’s what is on the inside the matters the most. You will laugh and cry with these lovable characters. I read it with my six year-old, grandson and I had tears in my eyes too!
Arthur Wooten is no novice at storytelling being a critically acclaimed novelist and playwright.. His novels include Birthday Pie, and On Picking Fruit, and Fruit Cocktail. The wonderful pictures are by award-winning designer and illustrator, Bud Santora.

~Author, J.D. Holiday
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