A meditative tale with a homespun feel, best for thoughtful readers.
A Bear Named Bjorn
Comical and contemplative stories from Bjorn’s forest for early readers.
Written by Delphine Perret
Translated by Antony Shugaar
Available as an ebook wherever you buy your ebooks
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Description
Bjorn lives in a cave. The walls are soft, the ground is comfortable, and just in front there is new grass and a rough tree, perfect for back-scratching.
A Bear Named Bjorn takes us into the forest with Bjorn the bear and his friends. One day the animals have their eye tests and try on the humans’ lost spectacles. Another, they just sit, watching the leaves and playing cards on a tree stump. And on party night the animals borrow clothes hanging on the camping ground line—and return everything carefully in the morning, only a little bit used.Bjorn’s thoughtful bear logic and small eccentricities are the heart of these mischievous chapters that are by turns contemplative and comical, odes to both nature and “human” nature.
Winner of the coveted Pepite des Petits prize 2016, the Montreuil Book Fair ‘Small Ones’ prize 2016 and a White Raven selection 2017.
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Book Details
Country of Origin France Reader Age 5-7 year, 6-8 year Book Size ISBN
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Reviews
Available worldwide from your local bookstore or online.
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New York Public Library Best Books for Kids 2020 –
Delight in the hijinks of Bjorn the bear and his many furry friends in this simple, woodland lark.
School Library Journal, 31 Days, 31 Lists: 2020 Easy Books and Early Chapter Books –
Fans of Winnie-the-Pooh will find much to love in this charming collection. Warning: Extreme charm on display. Handle with caution. Sweet, succinct, French. You could write an entire treatise on why bears are the perfect stand-ins for humans, but nothing could explain it better than this book. Bjorn is not a complicated bear. These are not complicated stories. They’re far shorter than the aforementioned Winnie-the-Pooh’s but they retain that same simplicity at their core. This is a safe little book. It’s not flashy and with its simple pen-and-inks it could be easy to ignore, but I hope you’ll take 10 minutes to try it because what Perret has managed here is admirable and lovable.
Books For Keeps –
With echoes of Winnie the Pooh, this is a delightful book of engaging, illustrated short stories told with warmth and humour. The book is beautifully presented on mint green paper with the author’s own line drawings perfectly illustrating each page.
Armadillo Magazine –
The delightful accounts of Bjorn’s adventures allow the reader to escape into a world where nature and human ‘nature’ become one, which is guaranteed to capture a child’s imagination…The beautiful illustrations compliment the story wonderfully as the line drawings depict the personalities of the characters, whilst also aligning with the simplicity of the text. The frequent illustrations are perfect for a new reader!
My Shelves are Full –
This yellow cover beckons the reader in and upon opening the book you will find green pages! I don’t see this often in books so I was pleasantly surprised… Witty and charming… It is a special book and I can see it being read constantly. It would be ideal for a Year 2 or 3 classroom!
Picture Books Blogger –
A cleverly executed series of short stories… This intriguing compilation of tales draws comparisons and synergies between nature & human nature. Delphine Perret makes astute & contemplative observations about humans in this humorous & thought provoking read.
The English Association –
These are gentle, reflective stories with some humorous touches. The book is distinctive with the text in capital letters on mint green paper, and thin black line illustrations. It is a chapter book for young children, and the whimsical nature of the stories can be enjoyed by readers of any age.
Red Reading Hub –
Beautifully simple and imbued with a gentle whimsical humour, both visual and verbal, Delphine Perret’s book is ideal for readers just flying solo, as well as for sharing with small groups or individuals.
INIS Magazine, Editor’s Choice –
The dynamic line drawings radiate a friendly, charming energy that makes us connect instantly with the characters. The writing, translated from French, is ideal for animated storytelling…The writing has a gentle tone, tinged with a childlike curiosity, while maintaining a softly satirical approach. These intelligent, thoughtful and funny vignettes are a great way to talk about big themes like friendship and the balance between company, solitude and contentment.
Storysnug –
a wonderful, humorous first chapter book…it’s perfect for an emerging reader. The situations are familiar to a child but the animals’ actions give the stories an original and amusing twist…There are so many elements that make us smile as we read these stories…beautifully illustrated using line drawings that complement the simplicity of the text. Translated from French its short sentences and easy vocabulary make it a wonderful book to read with non native English speakers who will benefit from the picture clues.
Reading Time –
The simple line drawings and handwriting-ish font on mint green pages give it a nostalgic feel, and the characters and stories are incredibly cute … but they’re wryly written so it isn’t at all twee. The humour in this book is softly slapstick and a little bit cynical — gently mocking of humans and their foibles … My boys (7 & 5) have read it several times and still get the giggles at Bjorn and his quirks. It’s a little bit absurdist in its outlook, and they love it … Snuggle up and read it because it’s cute, and because it’s one of those read alouds that can be enjoyed by adults differently. It’s funny to see our follies parodied by a bear.
Readings –
These gentle, funny stories are perfect for thoughtful beginner readers, and especially animal lovers.
ReadPlus –
A thoughtful, whimsical story that follows the daily adventures of a Bear, Bjorn, who lives quietly in a cave. It is a mixture of animal and human adventures as each of the six chapters reveals another escapade involving the bear and his other animal friends… All these adventures are beautifully illustrated using black line drawings and the book has been published on calming mint-green pages. Best enjoyed by young independent readers or one to one reading at home where the illustrations can be enjoyed along with the story.
NZ Poetry Box, Paula Green –
Even before you start reading you know this book is a treasure…the drawings are like exquisite little poems so I ‘read’ those before I read the story. They have an EH Shephard feel (he drew for AA Milne’s books) but they have their own personality that could only ever belong to Delphine Perret.
A Bear Named Bjorn got me thinking, but it also got me laughing!…There are lots of ways I am reminded of Winnie the Pooh because this is a book of living, of ordinary everyday life that is full of friendship and wisdom and unexpected things. I love it so much.
The Observer –
There’s a flick of Moomins style to the simple but striking black line drawings, and echoes of Winnie-the-Pooh in the characters’ droll reflections, but Perret has a fresh and funny voice all of her own.
Stephanie Tournas, Youth Services Book Review –
The simple stories are gentle and occasionally funny, with the expected silliness of animals trying to live in a world where human stuff keeps intruding, such as when bear wins a sofa. Spare line drawings on mint green paper lend the book an air of whimsy.
Kirkus Reviews –
French author Perret’s tale is serene, moving along languidly like the calming flow of a brook through the woods. Bits of text reside alongside simply wrought thin, black-line illustrations on cool mint-green pages in this graphic-novel hybrid. While the story itself makes for a pleasant read-aloud, the small-scale, unassuming art may better serve independent readers than groups. Children drawn to quieter animal fare imbued with warm humor and accompanied by a gentle nudge toward nature should find kinship here.
A meditative tale with a homespun feel, best for thoughtful readers.