Bear and Bird: The Secret and Other Stories

Bear and Bird #5

by Jarvis

A secret is in the air as the unlikely friends return in four more stories threaded with Jarvis’s signature warmth and subtle humor.

Best friends Bear and Bird may not always understand each other, but they always want the other to be happy. So when Bird feels left out because Bear has given a cute nickname to everyone but her, she’s relieved when her hasty list of names for Bear doesn’t reach him (Stinky Sock Muffin, anyone?). And when the two of them learn they have zero dislikes in common—from lasagna to chess to the word armadillo—and wonder if they can still be friends, they soon realize there’s one important dislike they can both agree on. Whether the challenge is being hopeless at keeping a secret (Bear), or getting befuddled about the rules for hide-and-seek (Bear again), this ever-endearing pair continue to charm in a sixth set of gentle stories.

Genres: Picture Books, Middle Grade, Childrens, Birds

64 pages, Hardcover

Published October 7, 2025

About the author

Jarvis is an illustrator and animator who has worked as both a record jacket designer and an animation director. He lives in Manchester, England.

Reviews

[YSBR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bear and Bird are best friends who go on cozy adventures together. Like a modern Frog and Toad, the stories show how even close friends can sometimes have disagreements. In The List, all of Bear’s friends get nicknames from him, except Bird. Bird is hurt and writes a mean note to Bear, but immediately regrets it. She tries to get the list back so she doesn’t hurt him, and finds out she doesn’t have a nickname because he thinks “Bird” is a perfect name for his friend. In The Cave, the friends have to overcome their fear of a dark cave when the ball they are playing with rolls away. Together they discover it is actually a wonderful place to explore and play.

Bear and Bird frustrate each other, stand up for one another, and try their best to be good friends.  The situations are sometimes silly, but young children will definitely be able to relate to the characters and the feelings the stories invoke.  The illustrations are adorable and Jarvis uses  a watercolor style, with all the characters having warm, open faces. These books each contain four stories, making it a good midrange early reader and are available in both paperback and hardcover editions. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...

[Lorie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bird and Bear are best friends, and their adventures are filled with imagination and humor. This easy reader is recommended for an independent reader. The full color illustrations and the "cheeky" details in both story and art make this a charming collection of stories that children ages 5-9 will chuckle over.

In the first story Bird is upset with Bear because she is the only one of the animals that he has not given a cool nickname. The second story finds them at odds when their opposite leaning lists of dislikes makes them seem like a bad choice for a best friend. In the third story Bear runs away from Bird because she wants to tell him a secret and he is bad at them. The final story takes them to a hollow tree where they are supposedly playing hide and seek, but no one ever comes to find them.

I would recommend this book for purchase by elementary school and public libraries.

This book was provided by the publisher for professional review by SWON Libraries.

[Shanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute and vibrantly illustrated early reader reminiscent of Elephant and Piggy or Frog and Toad.

Mia’s 2nd Year of Books: Days 243-246

#FirsttoCheckOut

[Bethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun installment in the Bear and Bird beginner chapter book series. Love the reaction that Rabbit faces when he shows up at the market with the wrong list and the little spotted bug house.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these stories. Bear knows himself well enough that he knows he can't keep a secret and goes to extraordinary lengths to avoid hearing it!

[Stuart Mann · Rating 4 out of 5]

🐻🐻🐤🐦🌭🍔🍨🪨🐇🐷🦔🦟

[Theodora · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was so cute and the artwork 🥹

[Abbigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute early chapter book/reader series about a bear and bird that are friends! Great for kids who like Frog and Toad; I loved the endings followed by a small joke at the end of each chapter.

[Danielle]

Oh my goodness. The ending of the first story had me laughing out loud!

This is the second book of the series I've read. They are fun little books about friendship with endearing illustrations.