The Picnic and Other Stories (Bear and Bird #1)

Goes too far in avoiding moralistic characters and instead actively endorses bad behavior.

In this uneven chapter book, Jarvis (The Boy with Flowers in His Hair) creates two sweet-looking creatures--a brown bear with a round nose, and a small, blue bird with a feathery cowlick--and tells four stories about their difficult friendship. In the first, Bird tumbles into a big red blossom, and her voice, calling for help, leads Bear to believe that he has met a talking flower--to which he tells "silly" stories about his friend. In "The Picnic," Bear fails to pack the things he promised to take, but his finesse ("We could eat the picnic that I have most definitely packed. But..."), coupled with Bird's unwillingness to call him out, sidesteps conflict. In "The Painting," Bird's discovery that Bear paints more realistically than she does results in an art-related mistruth. And in "The Blanket," Bear is so delighted with his fuzzy throw ("Oh, what a blanket you are... I'm going to call you Suzie") that Bird concludes she's been abandoned. While the duo's charming exchanges will elicit giggles, Bird seems always to get the short end of the stick, and each vignette's comedy is based on misunderstandings that never feel fully resolved. Ages 5-9. (May)

Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Jarvis's digital drawings, in beautiful colors, have an attractive handmade feel.
—The New York Times Book Review

Four short, episodic stories about best buds Bear (a cuddly brown bear) and Bird (an adorable bluebird) make up this irresistibly funny beginning chapter book. . . Jarvis' soft, rounded illustrations are invitingly childlike, and they amplify a situation's humor or sweetness. . . . Readers will chuckle at the duo's well-intentioned mistakes and be utterly charmed by the genuine affection and kindness they display toward each other.
—Booklist (starred review)

This breezy easy reader follows pals Bird and Bear through several days of quotidian (mis)adventures, giving readers a playful, accessible entry into solo reading. . . . The narrator's wry voice blends warmth and cheeky humor . . . . Crayon-like textures and dappled colors set against sepia backgrounds create an old-fashioned coziness. . . Sweet but not saccharine, clever but not precious, Bear and Bird easily earn a place between Lobel's classic friends Frog and Toad and Clanton's loveable duo Narwhal and Jelly.
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Bear and Bird are the best of friends. . . the pair navigates misunderstandings and hurt feelings, always managing to remember how much they value each other so they can turn a difficult situation into a happy one. . . . Jarvis skillfully writes about small adventures and emotional upheavals of childhood. With thick outlines, friendly curved shapes, and touches of humor, loose, cheerful digital illustrations on almost every page make the book approachable.
—The Horn Book

Jarvis (The Boy with Flowers in His Hair) creates two sweet-looking creatures—a brown bear with a round nose, and a small, blue bird with a feathery cowlick. . . the duo's charming exchanges will elicit giggles.
—Publishers Weekly

The book's digital illustrations exude amiability. . . entertaining.
—The Wall Street Journal

Jarvis' soft, fuzzy illustrations have an approachable hand-drawn look, just as his stories have an easygoing warmth. . . This genial easy-reader skips through minor mishaps and misunderstandings, picnics and paintings and cozy blankets, as Bear and Bird make it clear that the one thing they enjoy the most is their companionship.
—The Virginian Pilot

In four short stories that are vibrantly illustrated, funny misunderstandings lead readers/listeners to the solid conclusion that more than anything, both friends like to make each other happy.
—The Reading Eagle

When you've that child that's read all the Frog and Toads they could get their hands on, and they've long since left Elephant & Piggie behind, consider a final friendly pairing. Consider Bear and Bird and all their myriad adventures from the small to the slightly less small but always cozy. Raw charm on the page.
—A Fuse #8 Production