Pearl does not want to go to school. Mum says to hurry, but in between her putting on her coat and their leaving, something exciting happens. A little white, fluffy bear rings the doorbell and whisks Pearl off to Bear School. It's fun there says the Bear With Sticky Paws, and it turns out to be chaos too. At first Pearl thinks throwing her coat in the air instead of hanging it on the peg, splodgy, messy painting and cooking, and playing loud music is great, but when the story turns out not to be a story and the Bear wants all the jelly to himself and the chaos mounts, Pearl decides she is ready for her own school. The Bear waves her off happily, his mission complete, and off she goes with mum. There are good things about having a routine and some sort of schedule. This is a super cautionary tale for children who are not enjoying school. Not only is there a number and counting element to the story, but there is a chart and stickers at the back of the book for recording all the things one should do before going to school and while at school, such as 'I will pack my book bag' and 'I will listen at story time'. So this could be useful for children causing disruption at school as well as those who don't want to go. The pictures are full of detail and lots of fun, thus approaching the problems in a light-hearted way.