Rupert Bear

Rupert Bear Annual 1962

In a recent visit to the inlaw's house I found myself reading and reliving again a copy of the 1962 Rupert Bear annual. I was 10 years old when I read it first and I find I still remember the stories in detail.

There are two types of people in the world and only one love Rupert Bear stories. So what has made these stories appeal so much to me?  As a clue I admit to reading only the rhyming couplets and not the verbose story line at the foot of each page.

I love the Alfred Bestall's countryside, I love the sense of wonder and mystery the plots evoke. Above all I love the childhood freedom implied in the stories: Rupert's parents are cast as loving and caring and yet he is left free to explore miles of countryside without adult intervention. I identify with him as my eye explores the depths of pictures like these I photographed from this annual:

Frontispiece, 1962 annual

"And sees a group of trees he knows"

"The rabbits too have heard a sound"

"Jock knocks the ball high in the air"