Bears in Woolly Jumpers Craft Inspired by “Norton and the Bear”

Are you looking for a fun craft to make with your children for Book Week? This cute bear craft was inspired by one of this year’s CBCA shortlisted Picture Books ” Norton and the Bear,” written and illustrated by Gabriel Evans.

“Is imitation the sincerest form of flattery? Or is it just annoying? This irresistible read-aloud helps children deal with the sensitive topics of conformity, individuality and belonging in an accessible, kid-friendly way. Whether you’re more like Norton or the bear, this story will show you that there’s room for all kinds of creative expression.”

Norton and the Bear is such a fun and humourous story, and I loved all those jumpers on the end papers so much that I had to make my own bear, with his own woolly jumper. This is how you can make one too…

To make your bear you will need the following craft supplies:

Supplies

• Paper cup
• Wool
• Greylead pencil
• Black felt tip pen
• Cardboard
• Scissors
• Glue

Step 1

To make your bear, the first item you will need is a paper cup. The paper cup will be the body of the bear.

Step 2

The next step is to draw the bear’s head, ears, nose, arms and feet on some cardboard. I used the inside of a cereal box for this. Draw a circle for the head (I traced around the top of my paper cup), and 2 smaller circles for both the nose and ears. Draw 2 small ovals for the feet and 2 rectangles with one rounded end for the arms.

Step 3

Cut out the shapes, making sure you cut one of the small circles in half to create the ears, and put aside.

Step 4

Wrap the cup in wool. You might like to tape the end of the wool to the cup to make it easier to start. Continue wrapping until the cup is completey covered.

Step 5

Tuck the end of the wool in behind the other wool to stop it from unravelling. I used a tapestry needle for this step. Or you might prefer to glue the end of the wool to the cup.

Once the cup is covered in wool it should look similar to the one below.

Step 6

Now the body is complete, let’s start making our bear’s face. To do this first glue the small circle to the large circle, this is the bear’s nose.

Step 7

Now glue the 2 semi circles to either side of the bear’s head, to make his ears.

Step 8

Add some details to the bear’s face; a nose, mouth and some eyes.

Step 9

Glue the bear’s head to it’s body. I used PVA glue for a stronger bond. I also made sure the bear was lying down so the head wouldn’t slip while the glue was drying.

Step 10

Add some details to the bear’s hands and feet.

Step 11

Glue the bear’s feet to his body just above the rim of the cup.

Step 12

Fold the square ends of the bear’s arms backwards to create a small flap.

Step 13

Put glue along the flap and attach the arms to the bear’s body.

Step 14

If you would like to add some “pom poms” to the bear’s jumper, cut some small pieces of wool to resemble pom poms and glue these to the bear’s jumper. You might like to add some beads or sequins instead.

And ta-da our bears in woolly jumpers are complete! Don’t they look great!

My daughter Zoë had lots of fun making her own bear. It’s such a fun and simple craft to make. We hope you have fun making bears in woolly jumpers too!

Looking for Book Week display inspiration? Take a look at my space display here: Old Worlds, New Worlds, Other Worlds Book Week Display 2021

Or if you would like to do another fun Book Week craft why not try one of these: Tent Craft Inspired By “There’s No Such Thing” | Australian Bird Craft Inspired by “Busy Beaks”