The Adventure and Other Stories

April 10, 2023
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.

March 1, 2025
In the latest installment of this enjoyable early chapter book series (Bear and Bird: The Picnic and Other Stories, rev. 5/23), an average Tuesday takes a few minor twists and turns for the titular best friends. In "The Nothing" -- the first of four brief, episodic chapters -- Bear visits Bird for their weekly cloud-watching expedition. Bird is under the weather; Bear outdoes himself trying to comfort her but finally lets her voice her own desire to rest, and the two share cozy, quiet moments doing nothing. Rejuvenated, Bird rallies for the remaining three stories, in which the duo faces additional low-stakes conflicts while traveling about their forested neighborhood. As usual, they watch their good intentions land slightly off-target; memorably, while attempting to fend off a rival best friend, Bird performs an original, unintentionally offensive song entitled "Oh, What a Smelly Bear." Jarvis approaches these misunderstandings with gentle humor; his resolutions never feel condescending or prescriptive. The loose-lined, textured, and occasionally fanciful art also helps maintain a playful tone. Bear and Bird's everyday exploits -- and their canny, child's-eye perspective on conflict resolution -- continue to be witty, tender, and surprising. Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(Copyright 2025 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)