Bear and Bird

Here are four sweet and knowing stories about the friendship of Bear and Bird. You might expect a Bird and a Bear to have less in common than Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad, of beloved memory, not being as close in their nature as they are in a dictionary. But like their fabled amphibian forebears, they are innocent, well intentioned, vulnerable, foolish and, well, human. Their difference in size is the opportunity for humour in the first story as Bird falls upside down into a flower and, looking for Bird, Bear thinks he has discovered a talking flower. Bird takes on something of an adult role in the second story, as they set off for a picnic, and she quizzes Bear about whether he has been to the toilet and packed the music player, the deckchairs and a picnic. He says he has, but, of course, he hasn’t. Subsequent improvision saves the day, with Bird sparing Bear’s feelings by never letting on that she realises he has forgotten everything. In the next story, it is Bear’s turn to be understanding, as Bear’s first attempt at painting is so much better than anything Bird has ever done and she flounces off affronted and jealous. The last story sees Bear cuddling up for a duvet day with Suzie, his favourite blanket, leading to an understandable misunderstanding from Bird, until their friendship is finally consummated with a joint ‘blanket time’. These are stories of friendship for young children and their adults to enjoy, perfectly companioned by Jarvis’s own illustrations.