The Bear and the Wildcat

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 her violin, the bear remembers all the fun he had with the little bird. Now he can say goodbye to his friend, because he knows he'll always have his memories. The Bear and the Wildcat is a touching picture book about loneliness, grief and loss, ending with a positive new beginning. It shows a way through paralyzing grief and simultaneously tells the story of a budding friendship.

“"A single sympathetic soul can make all the difference. Bear's friend, a little bird, is dead to begin with. There is no doubt whatsoever about that. Yesterday he was alive, and now he is not. Bear constructs a lovely box, places the bird in it, and carries it everywhere, but the other animals disapprove. 'It may be hard but you have to forget about him.' Upon hearing this, Bear shuts himself away for days. When he emerges, he meets a wildcat, who hears his story, acknowledges that he must have loved his friend, and, by playing music, helps Bear to heal. This lyrical, unconventionally beautiful Japanese import reveals text both spare and superbly polished ('His downy feathers were the colour of coral and his tiny black beak gleamed like onyx'). Black images appear on the page as if they were scrubbed away from the surrounding beige, like relief paintings released from their claustrophobic borders. The sole other color, pink, is revealed only after Bear allows himself to remember the good times with his friend. As he finds himself able to let go, the pink infuses the flowers on a grave and in the field and a ribbon on a tambourine that Bear at last learns to play. Quietly contemplative, mingling hope and healing, this is a book that will offer comfort to many."--starred, Kirkus Reviews”

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

"A touchstone for talking about loss."

"A tender story and forward-looking book for children who have loved and lost."

"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." 

"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."

"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."

"A beautiful tribute to love and friendship and mourning."

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

"A modern classic."

Kazumi Yumoto was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1959. She studied music composition at Tokyo College and during this time wrote opera libretti and plays for radio and television. Her books, mostly novels for older children, have won numerous international awards. After graduating from Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, Komako Sakai worked at a kimono textile design company. She is currently one of the most popular children's author/illustrators in Japan, and has been successfully published in the US by Chronicle Books and Arthur A. Levine books.

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