Andy Stanton - Mr Gum and the Dancing Bear

For Vicky and William

Mr Gum and the Dancing Bear First published 2008 by Egmont UK Limited This edition published 2019 by Egmont UK Limited, The Yellow Building, 1 Nicholas Road London W11 4AN

Text copyright © 2008 Andy Stanton

Illustration copyright © 2008 David Tazzyman

The moral rights of the author and illustrator have been asserted

First e-book edition 2019

ISBN 978 1 4052 9373 0

eISBN 978 1 4052 5931 6

mrgum.co.uk www.egmont.co.uk

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library Printed and bound in Great Britain by the CPI Group

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Stay safe online. Any website addresses listed in this book are correct at the time of going to print. However, Egmont is not responsible for content hosted by third parties. Please be aware that online content can be subject to change and websites can contain content that is unsuitable for children. We advise that all children are supervised when using the internet.

Egmont takes its responsibility to the planet and its inhabitants very seriously. We aim to use papers from well-managed forests run by responsible suppliers.

Read all of Andy Stanton’s books!

You’re a Bad Man, MR GUM!

MR GUM and the Biscuit Billionaire

MR GUM and the Goblins

MR GUM and the Power Crystals

MR GUM and the Dancing Bear

What’s for Dinner, MR GUM?

MR GUM and the Cherry Tree

MR GUM and the Secret Hideout

Cover

Title Page

Dedication and Copyright page For Vicky and William Mr Gum and the Dancing Bear First published 2008 by Egmont UK Limited This edition published 2019 by Egmont UK Limited, The Yellow Building, 1 Nicholas Road London W11 4AN Text copyright © 2008 Andy Stanton Illustration copyright © 2008 David Tazzyman The moral rights of the author and illustrator have been asserted First e-book edition 2019 ISBN 978 1 4052 9373 0 eISBN 978 1 4052 5931 6 mrgum.co.uk www.egmont.co.uk A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library Printed and bound in Great Britain by the CPI Group All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Stay safe online. Any website addresses listed in this book are correct at the time of going to print. However, Egmont is not responsible for content hosted by third parties. Please be aware that online content can be subject to change and websites can contain content that is unsuitable for children. We advise that all children are supervised when using the internet. Egmont takes its responsibility to the planet and its inhabitants very seriously. We aim to use papers from well-managed forests run by responsible suppliers.

Front series promotional page Read all of Andy Stanton’s books! You’re a Bad Man, MR GUM! MR GUM and the Biscuit Billionaire MR GUM and the Goblins MR GUM and the Power Crystals MR GUM and the Dancing Bear What’s for Dinner, MR GUM? MR GUM and the Cherry Tree MR GUM and the Secret Hideout

1 Padlock the Bear

2 The World Champion of the Butcher’s Shop Lying Contest

3 What’s to Be Done with Padlock the Bear?

4 The Baddies, the Bear and the Balloon

5 Down by the Docks

6 Captain Brazil

7 Life at Sea

8 Two Men in a Boat

9 Discovered!

10 She and the Bear are Put on a Plank and Set Adrift on the Ocean Blue

11 To the Island

12 The Hunt for Padlock

13 Exploring the Island

14 The Kingdom of the Beasts

15 The Spirit of the Rainbow?

16 Home Again

About the author

About the illustrator

PRAISE FOR MR GUM

Some of the crazy old townsfolk from Lamonic Bibber

Tales from Lamonic Bibber

W ho likes bears? Everyone likes bears. I likes bears, you likes bears, this guy I know called Will Bulman likes bears. Everyone likes bears. They are truly the king of the jungle. They are nature’s way of saying, ‘here’s what bears look like’. They are the best. They are the bears.

And guess what, bear-likers? You’re in luck, because this story is all about a bear. Not just any bear, mind you, but a startlingly big and handsome specimen who came strolling into the little town of Lamonic Bibber one fine autumn morning. He was a proper fat shaggy rumble-me-tumble sort of a roly-poly flip-flap-flopper of a big brown bear, not like some of these cheap bears you see nowadays who have hardly got any legs and need batteries.

He was as tall as two men, or about forty hamsters if you could only manage to glue them on top of each other to prove it. And he weighed as much as two hundred watermelons, or roughly nineteen thousand grapes.

But what about his fur? Well, I’m glad I asked me that because he was covered from head to foot in the most gorgeous, chocolate-coloured fur you’ve ever seen. It was soft and deep and long, and it was glossy with healthy goodness, just like a bear’s fur should be. And his eyes, oh his eyes, his precious hazel eyes! One look into those big beautiful blinkers and that was it, you were in love forever.

And as this glorious new arrival came rumbling down the high street on his thick hind legs, everyone stopped what they were doing to stare.

‘Kroola-hoola!’ exclaimed Jonathan Ripples, the fattest man in town. ‘He’s as fat as me!’

‘Wab!’ remarked Old Granny, the oldest woman in Lamonic Bibber. ‘There hasn’t been a bear in this town since the Great Gecko Plague of 1922 – and even then there weren’t any bears, just quite a lot of geckos.’

‘A bear!’ shouted the postman.

‘A bear!’ shouted the milkman.

‘Hey, you greedy herons! Keep away from my breakfast!’ shouted Friday O’Leary, who was having a spot of bother over at the Heron Attack Café.

Soon there was a huge parade of laughing townsfolk, all capering and cavorting along behind the lumbering bear as he waddled down the high street and into the town square. And there, upon a bench beneath the statue of Sir Henry Violin, the inventor of the saxophone, the bear sat himself down, buried his face in his paws and began to sob.