Hector and Hummingbird by Nicholas John Frith

Mostly ...

Bear - his name is Hector, wants peace, a good scratch and time to enjoy a delicious custard apple in the jungles of South America. Hummingbird - his name is Hummingbird, wants action, conversation and fun! They are friends - well mostly!  This is a book for three voices.

Here is Hummingbird:

"Hey, Hector!
Are you scratching?
I'm going to scratch too!
Aw, you've got the scratchiest tree.
Look! I'm the best scratcher, aren't I?
Hector?
Hec - torrr??"

Here is the narrator and Bear himself from a later scene when he is all alone:

"Next, Hector found what looked like the scratchiest tree in the jungle. He settled down to have a nice, quiet scratch. But it felt funny scratching on his own. 'Hummingbird would love scratching on this tree,' sighed Hector."

Young children will delight in hunting for Hummingbird on every page as he follows bear. On the final page of this book there are images of other jungle animals to go back and find such as the tapir, iguana and macaw.

Here is another grouchy bear story and yes all of these have a similar plot line but Hector and Hummingbird is a sheer delight.  It won the Waterstones Book Prize in 2016 and the Klaus Flugge Prize and I can visualise all the judges just smiling and smiling. A fun theme for a young group of Kindergarten children could be reading all the grouchy bear stories and I would put Hector and Hummingbird at the top of the pile.

Read here about the work of the illustrator Nicholas John Frith.  He names Roger Duvoisin as an illustrator who inspires him and it is easy to make this link when you compare their work.

Image source: http://thewendywatsonblog.blogspot.com/2015/08/roger-duvoisin.html

Here are some other unlikely friends books I have mentioned previously.

Frith has created a visually stunning work, and young readers who look closely will find a forest teeming with wildlife hidden in plain sight. The tale is simple and universal, the setting is fresh, and it all works. Kirkus Star Review

A great pick for friendship story times, this book is a winner as a read aloud.  Waking Brain Cells

Illustration by Nicholas John Frith from http://blog.picturebookmakers.com/post/150037944616/nicholas-john-frith