French / France
Björn. Six histoires d’ours
(Björn. Six bear stories)
Perret, Delphine
(text/illus.)
[Montreuil]: Les Fourmis rouges, [2016]. – [54] p.
ISBN 978-2-36902-065-3
Bear | Animals | Friendship | Animal story
Reading age: 5+
White Ravens issue: 2017
In her best book to date, Delphine Perret gives us six chapters from the life of Björn the bear. Björn loves the tranquil life of the forest, and he shares harmless yet magical experiences with his animal friends in this orderly world. His little adventures cleverly vacillate between playfully absurd and revealing a “thoughtful bear logic”. The irresistible charm of the book lies precisely in the small, lovable eccentricities of its protagonist. Illustrator Delphine Perret, who lives in Lyon, provides a wonderful and inviting combination of good entertainment and thoughtful observation to spark children’s imaginations. With seeming effortlessness, she has crafted animal stories full of wit and tenderness – stories on par with “Winnie the Pooh”. Indeed, there are a few whimsical winks at the classic, but Björn the bear does not need to shy from the comparison with Pooh nor feel he is a mere imitation.