The Invisible Bear

by Cecile Metzger

Overview

A simple act of kindness brings two unlikely friends together in this profound picture book about the transformative power of friendship.

A bear sits in his quiet, colorless home in a forgotten place. He feels invisible; no one comes to see him, and he spends his days alone.

Then someone moves in next door. Madame Odette is sound and sunshine, and at first, the bear isn't sure about this colorful new neighbor.

But through an act of kindness, the bear and the Madame Odette meet, and as time goes by, they become friends. And in the end, they are both forever changed by the gifts they bring each other.

The first book from author-illustrator Cécile Metzger, The Invisible Bear is a powerful and beautiful meditation on the beauty of friendship and how two people can save each other just by being themselves.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780735266872
Publisher:	Tundra
Publication date:	08/04/2020
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	1,108,644
Product dimensions:	9.85(w) x 11.82(h) x 0.41(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

CÉCILE METZGER is a self-taught French illustrator. She loves books and travel and lived for two years in England and Scotland. She loves to observe flowers, clouds, animals and people passing by, and she tries to find all the little stories that hide in each of them. Cécile now lives in a small village in the East of France.

Editorial Reviews

06/29/2020

Ink and watercolor spreads by newcomer Metzger introduce a large, ghostly white bear: “No one ever came to see him, and he lived all alone in his colorless world.” A small rain cloud perches above his head, and mists of pale gray surround him. One day, a host of scarlet dragonflies invades the bear’s house, announcing the presence of Madame Odette, who arrives in a jalopy piled high with boxes. Roses and dragonflies accompany her everywhere: “She lived in a cheerful world of color and sound.” The two exist in uneasy proximity until a drought wilts Madam Odette’s garden and the bear’s rain cloud saves it. Thus begins their friendship and—though Madame Odette moves on—a colorful transformation in the bear’s life. Metzger underscores the unmistakable contrast between the bear’s drab existence and the abundance of Madame Odette’s: he cooks, feeds his goldfish, and reads; she talks on the telephone, dotes on her flowers, and luxuriates in a clawfoot tub. Yet the possibility of making a quiet life meaningful is vividly represented, too. Ages 4–8. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

A beautiful yet subtle depiction of the restorative power of companionship.” —STARRED REVIEW, School Library Journal

"This simple story is transformed into something special by Metzger's gorgeous illustrations, delicately rendered in Chinese ink and watercolor in vintage shades." —Booklist

"Metzger has a bright future in children’s literature." —CM Magazine

“[T]he possibility of making a quiet life meaningful is vividly represented.” —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

★ 06/01/2020

Gr 1–3—A bear feels invisible, seen by no one. He lives in a gray world with a personal raincloud overhead until the day color arrives in the form of a neighbor. Madame Odette lives in a "cheerful world of color and sound" doing everyday things like talking on the phone, cooking, and gardening. The bear is able to leave his dreary world when he helps Madame Odette water her flowers; then they gently embrace. The pair become fond of each other, able to share color and light sometimes tinged with gray. Their friendship changes them both forever, even on the morning that began as any other when "Madame Odette was gone." She simply floats off the page with her much-loved dragonflies. Readers recognize, however, that her gift to the bear will sustain him. Gentle illustrations in soft hues effectively illustrate this subtle tale of depression, loss, and the healing power of affection. The art moves from translucent grays to color in beautifully rendered watercolor and ink. VERDICT A beautiful yet subtle depiction of the restorative power of companionship.—Maria B. Salvadore, formerly at District of Columbia P.L.

School Library Journal

2020-04-08
In this French import (translated into English by its author), a bear that feels invisible undergoes a transformation.

Debut author/illustrator Metzger opens the story with exterior and interior settings rendered in pale gray/green watercolor and ink, a choice reinforcing the lonely silence surrounding the large, white bear that feels forgotten, unseen. His presence is distinguished only by the rain cloud perpetually above his head. One morning, a cluster of rosy dragonflies flits into his orbit—followed by a truck packed with the green and pink cargo of Madame Odette. Double-page spreads of the elderly white woman’s home and greenhouse, as well as vignettes of her many activities, show that she “lived in a cheerful world of color and sound.” Initially annoyed, the bear learns to accommodate the changes and ultimately help his new neighbor by transporting his cloud to her wilting garden. Then his new friend is gone: “She loved her dragonflies so much that she flew away with them.” Whether this is meant to be literal or metaphorical is open to interpretation, but the bear finds a potted flower on his doorstep and realizes that he has been seen. While the two characters’ contrasting lives are well delineated, the gray lasts a bit too long, the bear’s predicament is never explained, and the conclusion in which the friend departs will be unsatisfying for many children.

Readers will be forgiven for wondering if a plant can replace companionship. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews