Bird and Bear

by Ann James

Overview

In this beautiful picture book about friendship from Ann James, Bird and Bear go on an adventure and discover something surprising . . . .

Bird and Bear are two friends who love discovering the world around them. In this adventure, they go on a picnic to celebrate Bear's birthday. While at the pier, they look into the water and see another bear and another bird. Have they found two new friends? Bird and Bear are so excited . . . until they understand that they were just their reflections. They are sad to have "lost" their new friends, but they both realize that they love having each other as friends. This is a delightful early-learning story with the gentle humor and evocative artwork of Ann James.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781761210686
Publisher:	Hardie Grant Children's Publishing
Publication date:	08/15/2023
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.25(w) x 9.75(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Ann James is an award-winning illustrator of over 60 books including The Midnight Babies, Lucy Goosey, and the Audrey series. In 2000, she was awarded the Pixi O'Harris Award for Distinguished Service to Australian Children's Literature. In 2003 she received the Dromkeen Medal for making a significant contribution to the appreciation and development of children's literature.

Editorial Reviews

"This gentle celebration of friendship includes the comforting touchstones of a child's day: brushing your teeth, getting dressed, having breakfast, and discovering things with friends. James's soft line art and watercolor illustrations include plenty of details for children to find and are relaxing enough to make this a bedtime favorite. VERDICT A soothing story with a twist that's just right for the age group." —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

03/01/2015
PreS—Bear's friend Bird pays a visit for the cub's "bearthday" and as they prepare for an outing, Bear introduces "my friend, the other bear," whom they see in the mirror. When they reach the pier where they'll have their celebratory picnic, the other bear is there reflected in the water, along with another bird, too. However, when they throw the other animals a cupcake, the rippling water reveals that the new friends aren't real after all. A saddened Bear tells Bird that "I liked having a friend who was just like me," but he cheers up when he realizes that it's also great to have a friend who's different. This gentle celebration of friendship includes the comforting touchstones of a child's day: brushing your teeth, getting dressed, having breakfast, and discovering things with friends. James's soft line art and watercolor illustrations include plenty of details for children to find and are relaxing enough to make this a bedtime favorite. VERDICT A soothing story with a twist that's just right for the age group.—Etta Verma, Library Journal

School Library Journal

2015-02-03
A slice-of-life story describes the friendship enjoyed by the eponymous Bird and Bear. When Bird visits Bear on his birthday, they spy his reflection in a mirror; Bear identifies it as his "friend, the other bear." This anticipates the pair's discovery of a bird and a bear in the reflection they see when they gaze into the water while on a picnic at a nearby pier. Eventually, ripples in the water indicate that these are not real creatures in the water after all, and Bird and Bear are both disappointed. They recover quickly, however, and decide that although the thought of having friends just like them was nice, it's also nice that they are friends who are different from each other. Not much else happens in this very simple book, and the writing ends up feeling rather sparse. The illustrations, on the other hand, are exemplary in their fearless use of white space and delicate watercolor and line work. Ultimately, Bird and Bear are charming characters to look at, but their story needs more…story. (Picture book. 2-4)

Kirkus Reviews