Bear and Bird: The stars and other stories

This is a perfect book for newly confident readers. It contains four very satisfying stories and full colour illustrations with just the right amount of text on each page.

The Spoon - Bear and Bird have had a falling out over a spoon so Bear writes a letter seeking a new best friend and he folds it into a lake and floats it out over the lake. Little does he know Bird finds the letter and so their correspondence begins. Eventually the letter writers decide to meet but what is going on? Bear sits at one table. Bird sits at a different table in the cafe. Both of them wait and wait for their new friend. The waiter brings over a delicious bowl of porridge and as you may have guessed the only way to eat this is with a spoon!

The Cake - Bear finds a yummy cake in a box hidden behind some bushes. Without thinking he gobbles up the whole thing but then he realises someone made this cake and now it is all gone. No problem Bear can make a new cake. Oh no - Bear has never made a cake in his life. Do carrots, nuts, honey, worms, flies, dung and bananas belong in a cake? Then along comes Bird. She made the cake and she has bought everything for a perfect picnic but oh no - there is no cake!  This story reminded me of Frog is Frog.

The other two stories are The Rock (it is really a rock?) and The Stars. 

These humorous, touching, imaginative stories are matched by illustrations with the same qualities. Naïve-looking, soft-colored flat backgrounds focus attention on the black-outlined animals, especially the textured, stuffy-like bear and simplified bluebird, both expressive and huggable. Friendship at its best. Kirkus star review

You could pair this book with:

I previously talked about the illustrator Jarvis and I mentioned the first book from this sweet beginner series. I think all three of these books (the next one is coming) should be added to all Primary school and preschool library collections. 

The third book featuring the friends Bird and Bear will be released late in 2024.

I have talked about Unlikely Friends in previous posts - click the label at the bottom of this post.

The Perfect Picnic by Ciara Flood

Unlikely best friends Squirrel and Mole decide today is the day for a perfect picnic. They prepare sandwiches (with no butter); apples; crackers and a delicious strawberry layer sponge cake. Squirrel has the map and Mole has his back pack but unfortunately, very early on, Mole's pack catches on a blackberry bush and the thorns rip a long slit in the bottom of his pack. Mole and Squirrel continue their hunt for the perfect picnic spot oblivious to the loss of all their food. Luckily, though, other forest animals have been following this disaster and somehow the day is saved with a wonderful generous gathering at the end even if it is not quite perfect. Oh, and for the next picnic, Mole suggests they might add some butter to the sandwiches.

I adore picnics even though I don't go on them very often. When I was a child we often went on picnics - my mum, dad and I - and we also had an American cookery book that fascinated me because it was filled with photos of glamorous people enjoying picnics in all sorts of locations.

Ciara Flood is a UK illustrator so I am puzzled as to how her book came to be published here in Australia by Five Mile Press. I have already mentioned another book by Ciara Flood - Those Pesky Rabbits. 

I love her illustration of Squirrel and Mole's homes. It reminds me of Upstairs Mouse and Downstairs Mole; Happy Hoppy Home and Need a House call Ms Mouse. 

Take a look at this post about picnics from my friend at Kinderbookswitheverything. I would pair The Perfect Picnic (sorry it is out of print) with:

The Disgusting Sandwich

The Rattlebang Picnic

Another famous book where the main character does not realise everything is being lost on their journey is this one but I am sure there are others:

A Perfect Pig by Katrin Drieling

Begin with the cover - you can see the ribbons awarded to Anton, his neat clothing and perfectly combed hair. Perfect order is implied by the graph paper used to fill the word PIG. But wait something is not quite right. There are problems with the word perfect. The "R" is hanging by a thread; the "f" is in lower case and the "T" is about to fall of the cover. Perhaps Anton is not quite so perfect?

Taking a close look at Anton's room on the first page it is clear he enjoys keeping everything in his life in strict order. He has his three ribbons on his wall, three first place ribbons, to prove he most certainly is a perfect pig! His books are perfectly arranged. His hats and bow ties are neatly placed on the shelf. There is also a hint, thought, that Anton does have a soft side - we can see his little teddy bear lying on the bed. 

As we read on we discover he is also kind and a generous friend. It is Lola's birthday and even though Anton does not like surprises he knows Lola will love a surprise party! There will be a lot to organise in a short time. The only cake left at the bakery is a wedding cake. It is now raining and Anton is getting soaked. His beautiful bicycle is covered in mud.  It is a disaster. 

"His eye won't stop twitching and his stomach feels like a big rolling barrel of worries. He grabs the cake but his feel get tangled in the fairy lights."

Of course it all turns out okay in the end. Lola love the crazy mess and everyone joins in with the dancing. Oh and his eye stops twitching.

Pig has a generous heart. Young readers will enjoy the impending sense of disaster as we watch our Pig hero load a tiered wedding cake onto his bicycle. There is a lesson here perhaps about the genuine surprises that life can provide. The inclusion of the bold and fun fonts, provide an emphasis to some words.  The font changes links neatly with Anton's twisty tail.  The final page turn is perfect. The end papers reflect the order Pig enjoys in this life at the beginning and the little touch of graffiti at the end adds a fun twist. The cross reference to the white rabbit and his all-important pocket watch from Alice in wonderland will be appreciated by adults who share this book with young children. The digital watch displaying the word late is also a clever touch. 

The word choices, skilled use of digital illustrations, choices of fonts, and other design elements become gradually more and more chaotic as Anton’s day progresses, creating some perfect changes in pace and mood. 

This story has a joyful energy and a warm heart. The wonderful thing is, despite the challenges, Anton never gives up because he wants to surprise his friend.

Here is the web site for the author/illustrator Katrin Dreiling. Read more about the process of making this book here. 

A Perfect Pig is a joyous and highly appealing read-a-loud picture book for young readers aged 4-7 years. With themes of embracing change, adapting to uncertainty, and learning to let go and live in the moment, it is a book that can be enjoyed not only at home but also in the classroom setting. Reading Time

A Perfect Pig is illustrated in a marvellous mix of media with a crafty cut and paste feel. A mix of textures, wobbly lines and pops of pink create motion and movement in unity with the text. Kids' Book Review

I would pair this book with these:

Agnes and Clarabelle

Sometimes Cake

What if, Pig?

A friend like Ed by Karen Wagner illustrations by Janet Pedersen

"Mildred and Ed had been friends for as long as anyone could remember ... even though some thought Ed a bit unusual."

First a little warning this book from 1998 is out of print.  Here is the good news, though, the internet has given book people like me an easy way to source out of print titles from anywhere around the world and often quite cheaply.

With this in mind I decided it was time for me to find a copy of one of my all time absolute favourite picture book - A friend like Ed.  Just before Christmas my mint condition, hardcover, dust jacketed copy arrived!  Good timing for my first Blog Post of 2017!

In the illustration on the second page we see some of Ed's hobbies.  He collects :

• buttons
• feathers
• left feet socks
• string
• pennies
• pencil stubs

Making this page even more appealing especially to a librarian - Ed classifies these objects.  His buttons are 'shiney', cloth, glass, square, teeny tiny and antique.  His pencil stubs are under 1/2" and over 1/2". His string is wound into a huge ball but Ed's best talent is for making homemade, fudge-frosted, triple-layer cakes and Mildred certainly enjoys sharing a slice or two.

Mildred suggests they try inventing some poetry.  Mildred tries hard but Ed seems to have a natural talent.

Here is a poem by Mildred :
Sunset is beautiful
orange and purple.
Early evening
look so ...
yurple?

Here is a poem by Ed
Leaves are falling
winter's calling,
Before you know
There will be snow,
So let us should 'hurray'
For this warm and
sunny day.

Ed gets a little carried away with making rhymes and one day he recites a poem about lemons in the middle of supermarket.  Mildred is so embarrassed.  She goes home alone and that night has awful night mares filled with buttons.  The next day Mildred meets Pearl at the ice skating rink. Pearl looks perfect to Mildred but astute readers will notice something is not quite right about her even from her very first words "I can do anything. And I can do it better that anyone else" she declares.  Unfortunately Mildred is so swept up by the idea of a new friend she doesn't notice the true meaning here.  Pearl is a selfish and arrogant girl who will have no idea how to be a real friend.

Mildred goes to a costume party with Pearl but she is trapped at the end of the dragon suit. They go skating on the pond and Mildred asks Pearl to teach her how to twirl but Pearl tells Mildred she should just watch. Meanwhile Ed sits alone, he makes a cake but he cannot eat it so he sorts his buttons over and over again.

Mildred wakes up one morning with a taste for some fudge-frosted, triple-layer cake.  She attempts to make one for herself but on the way to buy the ingredients she sees someone skating on the pond. It is Ed.  When he leaves Mildred stares at what he has done.  He has carved one word in huge letters right into the ice!

Spoiler alert :  Mildred writes a letter to Ed and places it near his door with a small parcel.

"Dear Ed
You may think this is a pen but it is not.  It is a thousand poems waiting to be written. It is a pair of wings to help you fly.  
Love Mildred."

Ed goes over to thank Mildred and arrives just as she is putting the finishing touches on her very lopsided fudge-frosted, triple-layer cake. She is so pleased to see her friend Ed that she climbs onto a kitchen chair and recites a perfect poem just for him.

I hope that you can find a copy of A friend like Ed.  I will begin my school year by reading this to our Grade Two classes.  We will talk about being a friend, quirky collections and of course cake! I also appreciate the way it is not left to Ed or Mildred to 'fix' Pearl.  This aspect of the story will make a good discussion point for my classes.

Wagner compassionately addresses an issue that is vital to children—the wish to fit in and be accepted. 

Here is the cover of my copy :

And with great excitement I have discovered there is a sequel.  It is of course also out of print but I have ordered a copy and YES it has a dust jacket!

You might also enjoy Stanza by Jill Esbaum if you want to explore characters who are talented poets. Check out this review.

Herman's holiday by Tom Percival

Herman's Holiday is the second book about this special pair of friends.  Take a look at Herman's letter which is a book I discovered exactly one year ago.

Herman's holiday has such important messages:

• We are all different
• Not everyone likes the same thing
• Sometimes you need to consider another point of view
• Kindness is important

Herman and Henry decide to take a holiday but their funds are low.  They settle on a camping trip. Herman is a born camper. He takes all the right gear and he even knows how to keep his donkey moving in the right direction.  Henry has the opposite experience.  When they arrive at their camping spot they each compose a postcard to send home.

Herman writes

"Dear Uncle Harold

We're having an AMAZING time camping!

Henry's really getting into the swing of it.

He even went for a swim last night.

What fun!"

Henry writes

"Dear Aunt Winifred,

Have you ever been camping?  Well,

if you haven't, DON'T, it's AWFUL.

I'm cold, soaking wet and bored.

PS Can you please post me some hot chocolate, I forgot to bring any."

Herman finally notices that Henry is not having a great time.  His solution is kind, ingenious and utterly perfect.

One special feature of this book is the 'real' postcards that you can lift and read. Take a look at the author web site.  The publisher site has a set of activities to use with this book.  This video shows you how to draw Herman.  Here is a detailed review.

Pig and Small by Alex Latimer

One morning Pig wakes up with a squeak.  His nose is squeaking!  It squeaks through all his daily activities including bath time so pig "got, the big medical book down from his bookshelf and looked up Squeaky Nose Syndrome."  He finds a long list of squeaky syndromes but nothing about noses. Pig squints down to the end of his nose and sees a tiny bug waving and squeaking.

Pig knows the little bug wants to be his friend but their size differences will certainly make for some serious lessons.  They try bike riding (Bug can't assist much here on their tandem bike) and chess (Pig falls asleep because each move takes Bug so long). Bug makes a cake and knits matching jumpers. It seems all the activities they attempt have predictable outcomes.  "Pig and Bug were very sad.  They'd tried so hard to be friends, but it just wasn't working. So they said goodbye ..."  At that moment Pig sees a newspaper with an article about a movie entitled "The Pirate, the Ninja and the invisible dog."  He has at last found something they can do together.

Friendships are always about adjustments.  This odd pair of friends love the movie and then discover so many other things to enjoy together.   By the end of the story they are also ready to welcome a new friend too. And yes he is also very different.

Here is a web site for the author.  We have most of his books in our school library.

You might like to follow this book with Sylvia and Bird by Catherine Rayner which is also a joyous book about an unlikely friendship.  When I visited Edinburgh recently I found the main public library in the centre of the city which has huge and very special murals painted by Catherine Rayner.  I love her art work.

Sylvia is a dragon.  She is lonely and alone. Then one day she finds a little bird. Together they travel to the moon.  There is a catastrophe which will seal their friendship forever. This is a book for a very young child and I think it is one you will re-read many times.  I have so many picture books in this blog about friendship - just click the link on the sidebar or check out my pinterest list.  You can see two cover pictures here - which one do you like best?