Have fun and learn skills in writing for children, while you create a bear character and write/start writing a bear story for children, inspired by wonderful bear books including Winnie the Pooh, Paddington, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, Where’s my Teddy? and The Last Bear.
Learning modes and locations may be different depending on the course start date. Please check the location of your chosen course and read our guide to learning modes and locations to help you choose the right course for you.
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
An opportunity to look at examples of the many fabulous bear books that exist for children, from classics to modern stories, picture books to middle grade, and learn what makes these bear characters so memorable and the stories so strong. Then use these as inspiration to create your own bear character and write or begin to write a bear story.
What will we cover?
The popularity of bears in children’s fiction with examples and extracts.
Symbolism and psychological aspects of bears as characters.
The features of a good bear character.
The basic elements and structure of a children’s picture book, short story or novel.
What will I achieve? By the end of this course you should be able to...
show understanding of the significance of bears as characters in children’s books.
apply this knowledge to creating a bear character for a children’s picture book, short story or novel.
use knowledge gained about basic elements and structure of a children’s book to develop a story idea including the bear character, and start to plan and write the story.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
The course is suitable for students at all levels. No special educational attainments are required but students should be able to write fluent English. No illustration skills needed though illustrators are very welcome.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
Tutor-led discussion and feedback
Pairs and group work
Lots of independent writing
All writing courses at City Lit will involve an element of workshop. This means that students will produce work which will be discussed in an open and constructive environment with the tutor and other students. The college operates a policy of constructive criticism, and all feedback on another student’s work by the tutor and other students should be delivered in that spirit.
For classes longer than one day regular reading and writing exercises will be set for completion at home to set deadlines.
City Lit Writing endeavours to create a safe and welcoming space for all and we strongly support the use of content notes in our classes. This means that learners are encouraged to make their tutor and classmates aware in advance if any writing they wish to share contains material that may be deemed sensitive. If you are unsure about what might constitute sensitive content, please ask your tutor for further clarification and read our expectations for participating in writing courses at City Lit.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
Bring a notebook, writing materials and lots of enthusiasm. A laptop is optional if you prefer to type.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
Students who wish to continue actively to write for children may like to join the Writing for Children course or workshop, most of whose tutors began as students on the City Lit’s Writing for Children course, and of whom a significant number are now published authors.
All students are invited to join us at Late Lines, our regular performance night for City Lit writers. Students are also encouraged to submit their work to Between the Lines, our annual anthology of creative writing. For the latest news, courses and events, stay in touch with the Department on Facebook and Bluesky
Penny Joelson began her writing career with a course at City Lit. She has now been teaching Writing for Children courses at City Lit for over twenty years. During this time Penny has had twelve books published including fiction for young adults, middle grade and early readers and books for teens with a low reading age. Her books have been published internationally and her three most recent YA thrillers, I Have No Secrets, Girl in the Window and Things the Eye Can’t See have all won awards. I Have No Secrets was nominated for the Carnegie Medal and won ten awards including the FCBG (Federation of Children’s Book Groups) National Children’s Book Award (Older Readers).
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
product
https://www.citylit.ac.uk/writing-a-bear-book-for-children3076321Writing a bear book for childrenhttps://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/category/childrens_writing-2.jpg7979GBPInStock/Courses/Courses/Writing/Children's writing/Children's writing/Courses/Writing/Courses/Writing/Children's writing228515921358113584122851358113584<p>Have fun and learn skills in writing for children, while you create a bear character and write/start writing a bear story for children, inspired by wonderful bear books including Winnie the Pooh, Paddington, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, Where’s my Teddy? and The Last Bear. </p>003076315Writing a bear book for children7979https://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/category/childrens_writing-2.jpgInStockDaytimeSatKeeley StreetAvailable coursesOne-off onlyWeekend2026-12-05T00:00:00+00:00Beginners, Some experience, Advanced, Suitable for allDec 2026WritingHW7357979Writing a bear book for children795179Penny Joelsonwriting-a-bear-book-for-children/hw735-2627<p>Have fun and learn skills in writing for children, while you create a bear character and write/start writing a bear story for children, inspired by wonderful bear books including Winnie the Pooh, Paddington, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, Where’s my Teddy? and The Last Bear. </p>0000-Available|2026-12-05 00:00:00<p>An opportunity to look at examples of the many fabulous bear books that exist for children, from classics to modern stories, picture books to middle grade, and learn what makes these bear characters so memorable and the stories so strong. Then use these as inspiration to create your own bear character and write or begin to write a bear story.</p><p>Have fun and learn skills in writing for children, while you create a bear character and write/start writing a bear story for children, inspired by wonderful bear books including Winnie the Pooh, Paddington, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, Where’s my Teddy? and The Last Bear. </p><ul><li>The popularity of bears in children’s fiction with examples and extracts. </li><li>Symbolism and psychological aspects of bears as characters.</li><li>The features of a good bear character.</li><li>The basic elements and structure of a children’s picture book, short story or novel. </li></ul><ul><li>show understanding of the significance of bears as characters in children’s books.</li><li>apply this knowledge to creating a bear character for a children’s picture book, short story or novel.</li><li>use knowledge gained about basic elements and structure of a children’s book to develop a story idea including the bear character, and start to plan and write the story.</li></ul><p>The course is suitable for students at all levels. No special educational attainments are required but students should be able to write fluent English. No illustration skills needed though illustrators are very welcome.</p><ul><li>Tutor-led discussion and feedback</li><li>Pairs and group work</li><li>Lots of independent writing</li></ul><p>All writing courses at City Lit will involve an element of workshop. This means that students will produce work which will be discussed in an open and constructive environment with the tutor and other students. The college operates a policy of constructive criticism, and all feedback on another student’s work by the tutor and other students should be delivered in that spirit.</p><p>For classes longer than one day regular reading and writing exercises will be set for completion at home to set deadlines.</p><p><br> </p> <br />
<br />
City Lit Writing endeavours to create a safe and welcoming space for all and we strongly support the use of content notes in our classes. This means that learners are encouraged to make their tutor and classmates aware in advance if any writing they wish to share contains material that may be deemed sensitive. If you are unsure about what might constitute sensitive content, please ask your tutor for further clarification and read our <a href=" https://www.citylit.ac.uk/expectations-for-participating-in-writing-courses" target="_blank">expectations for participating in writing courses at City Lit</a>.<p>Bring a notebook, writing materials and lots of enthusiasm. A laptop is optional if you prefer to type.</p><p>Students who wish to continue actively to write for children may like to join the Writing for Children course or workshop, most of whose tutors began as students on the City Lit’s Writing for Children course, and of whom a significant number are now published authors.</p><p>All students are invited to join us at <a href="https://www.citylit.ac.uk/latelines" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Late Lines</a>, our regular performance night for City Lit writers. Students are also encouraged to submit their work to Between the Lines, our annual anthology of creative writing. For the latest news, courses and events, stay in touch with the Department on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CityLitCreativeWriting/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/citylitwriting.bsky.social" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bluesky</a></p>Children's writingChildren's writingvirtual797951HW735NONESat05/12/2610:30 - 16:3010:3016:301 session1One-off onlyDaytimeWeekendKSKeeley StreetPenny JoelsonBeginners, Some experience, Advanced, Suitable for allAvailable courses2026-12-05T00:00:00+00:00Dec 2026Writing7979Writing a bear book for childrenwriting-a-bear-book-for-children/hw735-2627<p>Have fun and learn skills in writing for children, while you create a bear character and write/start writing a bear story for children, inspired by wonderful bear books including Winnie the Pooh, Paddington, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, Where’s my Teddy? and The Last Bear. </p>0000-Available|2026-12-05 00:00:00<p>An opportunity to look at examples of the many fabulous bear books that exist for children, from classics to modern stories, picture books to middle grade, and learn what makes these bear characters so memorable and the stories so strong. Then use these as inspiration to create your own bear character and write or begin to write a bear story.</p><p>Have fun and learn skills in writing for children, while you create a bear character and write/start writing a bear story for children, inspired by wonderful bear books including Winnie the Pooh, Paddington, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, Where’s my Teddy? and The Last Bear. </p><ul><li>The popularity of bears in children’s fiction with examples and extracts. </li><li>Symbolism and psychological aspects of bears as characters.</li><li>The features of a good bear character.</li><li>The basic elements and structure of a children’s picture book, short story or novel. </li></ul><ul><li>show understanding of the significance of bears as characters in children’s books.</li><li>apply this knowledge to creating a bear character for a children’s picture book, short story or novel.</li><li>use knowledge gained about basic elements and structure of a children’s book to develop a story idea including the bear character, and start to plan and write the story.</li></ul><p>The course is suitable for students at all levels. No special educational attainments are required but students should be able to write fluent English. No illustration skills needed though illustrators are very welcome.</p><ul><li>Tutor-led discussion and feedback</li><li>Pairs and group work</li><li>Lots of independent writing</li></ul><p>All writing courses at City Lit will involve an element of workshop. This means that students will produce work which will be discussed in an open and constructive environment with the tutor and other students. The college operates a policy of constructive criticism, and all feedback on another student’s work by the tutor and other students should be delivered in that spirit.</p><p>For classes longer than one day regular reading and writing exercises will be set for completion at home to set deadlines.</p><p><br> </p> <br />
<br />
City Lit Writing endeavours to create a safe and welcoming space for all and we strongly support the use of content notes in our classes. This means that learners are encouraged to make their tutor and classmates aware in advance if any writing they wish to share contains material that may be deemed sensitive. If you are unsure about what might constitute sensitive content, please ask your tutor for further clarification and read our <a href=" https://www.citylit.ac.uk/expectations-for-participating-in-writing-courses" target="_blank">expectations for participating in writing courses at City Lit</a>.<p>Bring a notebook, writing materials and lots of enthusiasm. A laptop is optional if you prefer to type.</p><p>Students who wish to continue actively to write for children may like to join the Writing for Children course or workshop, most of whose tutors began as students on the City Lit’s Writing for Children course, and of whom a significant number are now published authors.</p><p>All students are invited to join us at <a href="https://www.citylit.ac.uk/latelines" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Late Lines</a>, our regular performance night for City Lit writers. Students are also encouraged to submit their work to Between the Lines, our annual anthology of creative writing. For the latest news, courses and events, stay in touch with the Department on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CityLitCreativeWriting/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/citylitwriting.bsky.social" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bluesky</a></p>Children's writingChildren's writingconfigurable
