Bear and Bird; The Picnic And Other Stories
Author:
Jarvis
Illustrator:
N/A
Published by:
Walker Books
First Published:
2 Mar 2023
Ideal for readers aged
6-9y
My Review
I love this series! Funny, charming, and super cute, the tales of friendship between this flawed but well-intentionned and very lovable pair are perfect for bedtime read-alouds, but also fill that tricky gap between picture books and early chapter books for emerging readers. I particularly like the hardback format which sits nicely between these two book genres too - in size it's just a bit bigger than A5, making it so nice to hold and manage for 5-6 year olds. Each book contains four stories or chapters. The illustrations, are quirky, warm and gentle too, and there's a great balance of text to pictures - overall, these books just feel friendly! Jarvis takes inspiration from his relationship with his wife - the everyday misunderstandings, allowances made, and flaws overlooked - to create Bear and Bird, and the result is a duo who are easy to relate to, very human in their flaws, and will leave kids - and adults - with a smile on their faces.
Heads Up!
This is the first of the series, but there are others to collect, with more due out soon! Some reviewers have commented that a lot of the stories feature the lies that bear and bird tell one another in order to keep each other happy, and that this sets a poor example for children. I think, though, that the stories all rely on children seeing these lies and making their own judgements on the impact they have on the relationship between Bear and bird. It's always apparent to the reader that it would be better for the friendship if the truth had been told, and I feel this dimension gives more agency to the child reading the story - they are still tales with a moral, it's just that the reader is called upon to work out the moral for themselves, rather than been spoon-fed. Besides which, it's precisely the misunderstanding that arise from the characters' poor judgement that makes these stories so funny, and so relatable!