Author(s): Kazumi Yumoto

Picture | Thinking & Feeling | Grief | Gecko Press

One morning the bear was crying. His friend, the little bird, was dead. When the little bird dies, the bear is inconsolable. Full of grief, he locks himself in his house and ventures out again only when the smell of young spring grass blows through his window. He meets a wildcat and finally feels understood. As the cat plays on her violin, the bear remembers all the beauty that he has experienced with the little bird. Now he can bury his friend, because he knows he'll always have his memories.

"If grieving people are allowed to grieve, then they will find their way back to the joy of life - that's the message of this delicate Japanese book." —Hella Kemper * Die Zeit *

"This extraordinary picture book tells the story of a bear whose best friend, a small bird, has died. The reader follows Bear as he mourns his companion but also as he begins to find renewed meaning in his life following a chance encounter with a musical cat. This powerful story deals with one of life's most complicated and painful aspects with delicacy and honesty. Intricately layered pencil illustration accompanies the tale to create a story that is very moving but also filled with hope. This would be a poignant book to support discussion of bereavement with older children." —BookTrust

"Quietly contemplative, mingling hope and healing, this is a book that will offer comfort to many."

-- Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"In this touching story about grief, Bear mourns the death of his friend Bird, working his way from
being paralyzed by sadness to reengaging with the world." —Booklist

"A beautiful tribute to love and friendship and mourning." —Youth Services Book Review, US

"Far and away my picture book of the year... This moving story of a bear whose best friend (a bird) has died tackles a difficult subject with sensitivity and grace." —Meg Rosoff, Saturday Times, UK

"Bereavement is a difficult theme for young readers, but as death occurs in the world it should be addressed, sensitively, on the page ... Touching and otherworldly, brave in its treatment of loss, The Bear and the Wildcat is a hauntingly beautiful book." —The Independent, UK