Teddy bears to take over library for launch
A CHILDREN’S author and illustrator form Market Bosworth is hoping to soothe tots to sleep with his beautiful new storybook, ‘Too Many Bears in the Bed’.
Andy Baylis. 40. both wrote and illustrated the book, which tells the story of a young boy whose mum pleads with him to throw out some teddies from his bed.
The book is a rhyming story aimed at children aged three and up, and introduces little ones to more than 100 teddies, including Big Ted, Gigantateddy and Ted Who’s a Ball.
The book is Andy’s first and, while it took just days to write, he spent one year illustrating the story.
Andy, an artwork and production manager, says that he wrote the story for his two nieces, four-yearold Daisy, and Ellie, aged one.
The former John Cleveland College student said: “The book is about a young boy who’s got too many bears in his bed, or so his mum says.
“She’s trying to convince him to get rid of some, so he’s listed all the bears in his bed, saying he doesn’t want to.
“It’s my first proper book, but I’ve half-written a couple of novels for children a few years ago, but I never really did anything with them.
“I’ve had this idea in my head for a while, though.
“I knew roughly how the story would pan out and how I envisaged it looking but never made the time to do it.
“Then one day I decided (with a gentle push from my girlfriend) to give it a go.
“I have always wanted to be a children’s book illustrator but never gave myself the opportunity to actively pursue it.
“I wrote it over a couple of days, then took a year to sort the illustration.”
The book is currently available for pre-order on Andy’s website, www. andrewbaylis.co.uk and has been available to buy from the Market Bosworth Community Library since the publication date on April 10.
There will be an official launch between 10:30am and 1pm on Saturday May 6 at the Market Bosworth Community Library.
Andy added: “The library have been extremely enthusiastic about my book and it’s great to work with them.
“I will be doing a reading and signing books.
”There will also be a few competitions and a teddy bears picnic if any children want to bring their favourite teddy with them.”