Bear and Bird by Gwen Millward
| Bear and Bird by Gwen Millward | |
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| Category: For Sharing | |
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Reviewer: Keith Dudhnath
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| Summary: 'Bear and Bird is another lost and found picture book, but its predictability doesn't matter in the slightest. It's heart-warming and enjoyable, and a fine addition to any bookshelf. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 32 | Date: September 2012 |
| Publisher: Egmont | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-1405254274 | |
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Bear and bird are best friends. They do everything together. They work together, play together, collect firewood together. However, one evening, Bird burns all the firewood, so Bear sighs and heads out to collect some more. When he doesn't return for hours, Bird worries, and heads out to find his best friend.
Bear and Bird is another fine addition to the body of lost and found picture books. The friendship between bear and bird is sweet and inspiring. Bird's distress at losing his friend rings incredibly true (although not so severe as to panic any sensitive souls). The hunt is stretched out just long enough as to give the emotion full rein. The regrouping is wonderfully satisfying and uplifting.
Gwen Millward's illustrations work brilliantly - they are friendly and cosy, yet still have an unusual and fresh element to them, which differentiates them from plenty of other artwork. I particularly enjoyed seeing the staring eyes as Bird and Bear realised their predicament - in themselves, a very simple element of the illustration, but they express so much emotion that they draw you right in. There is, of course, much more to the illustrations than the eyes, and every page is a beautifully constructed scene that drives the story on.
The writing is clear and direct, with simple vocabulary that is suitable for any age. However, it's not so basic that it'll leave older readers bored. The story unfolds at a nice pace. Strangely, although we've all read this sort of story many times before, and it's entirely predictable, that never seems to matter. There's enough charm in the story, and enough appeal in the characters to ensure neither potential criticism is relevant. It is, simply, a joy to read.
Warmly recommended.
Where Is Home, Little Pip? by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman is our favourite of the many lost and found books. Duck by Janet A Holmes and Jonathan Bentley is also well worth a look, as is I Love You, Muddy Bear by Jane Simmons.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Bear and Bird by Gwen Millward at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
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