The Bear and the Moon

Starred review from August 3, 2020
Burgess (Drawing on Walls: A Life of Keith Haring) and Chien (The Town of Turtle) add savor to a simple story with visceral writing and elemental artwork. A red balloon floats toward a young black bear: “It was red as a berry and round like the moon with a long silver string drifting brightly in the breeze.” The bear’s roly-poly body provides a cozy counterpoint to the balloon’s smooth surface. The two engage in a pas de deux—“When he walked, it walked. When he danced, it danced”—until a too-eager bear hug ends the balloon’s short life. The animal is stricken (“Bad bear, he thought. Bad, bad bear”) until comfort arrives from another sky-given orb, which “reached down to him and gently stroked his fur.” Chien creates each spread with a sense of freshness, giving the expressive bear’s world an ancient feel with long horizons and sheets of color. Burgess writes with nimble emotionality; sprightly phrases lead up to the balloon’s demise (“What a wonderful thing! What a squishable, huggable thing!”), and genuine mourning occurs after. Together, the creators deliver an essential message of self-acceptance: “Good bear. Kind bear. Don’t worry, bear.” Ages 3–5. Author’s agent: Erica Rand Silverman, Stimola Literary Studio. Illustrator’s agent: Steven Malk, Writers House.

A playful bear makes an ephemeral friend. An expressive little black bear befriends something "red as a berry / and round like the moon / with a long silver string" in this sweet story. The bear has large ears, a white nose, and tottering, toddler-ish proportions sure to charm, and his buoyant companion somehow manages to "smile back at him like a friend" through vibrancy alone. The straightforward writing floats through Chien's soft-textured, multimedia illustrations with heartwarming ease as the pair dance, find honey, and roll down a hill in glowing, abstract landscapes. When the inevitable occurs, as any little one enamored with something as squishable and huggable as a balloon will learn, the bear's sorrow overcomes him. "Bad bear, / he thought. / Bad, bad bear. // Night fell, / but the bear / skipped his dinner." The little bear sinks into deep blue spreads, but his grief melts even the heart of the moon, and with a little celestial reassurance, the bear comes to value his good memories, giving the book a satisfying amount of substance. In the author's and illustrator's expert hands, readers are sure to feel lighter than air and ready for bed. The dreamy spread in which the bear receives his message from the moon is worth a mention all on its own, charming and cheerful as the rest of the book may be, as are velvety lavender endpapers featuring the balloon and the moon. As delightful as a balloon--but with more weight. (Picture book. 2-5)

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October 23, 2020
Preschool-Grade 1 One day a red dot appears, and it becomes Bear's friend. This floating red dot is tied to a string, and it walks when Bear walks and dances when he dances and keeps him quiet company while he eats and stargazes and climbs trees for honey. But when Bear tries to hug his new friend, it pops, and nothing can fix it. Bad, bad bear. That night, however, the gentle moon shines down on the heartbroken bear and lets him know that he is, in fact, good and kind after all. Tonally, the language fluctuates rather confusingly between sophisticated, poetic sentences and simplistic, one-line phrasing; but the messaging is sweet, and the elegance of Chien's artwork elevates the story to a steady place of beauty. Her soft, inviting illustrations--using what appears to be a mixture of colored pencil, watercolor, and occasional collage--present the reader with beautifully saturated skyscapes, creative and complex depictions of stillness and movement, and an adorably emotive bear cub. This is a bedtime book to snuggle into.

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February 1, 2021

PreS-K-A simple red balloon provokes joy, shock, sadness, and, ultimately, peace in this tone poem to kinship. The titular bear discovers a red balloon and immediately delights in it. "What a nice thing! What a wonderful thing! /What a squishable, huggable thing!" The balloon becomes a companion, and the bear eats, sleeps, and even sits "on the pot" with it. Then, in a playful moment, the balloon suddenly pops. After a period of denial, the bear falls into depression and self-loathing. Only the majesty of the full moon can help soothe the bear into a peaceful sleep, dancing with its beloved balloon in happy memories. Chien works with a primarily red and blue color palette in her mixed media illustrations. The simplicity of the outlines and colors create some truly lovely spreads, and the little bear is a charmer. Through the bear's expressive face, young children can easily discern and relate to many emotions. VERDICT Spare text and simple illustration will immerse listeners at story times in this quiet take on love and loss.-Jessica Ko, Los Angeles P.L.

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