Hilda and the Bird Parade

Hilda #3

by Luke Pearson

WATCH SEASONS ONE AND TWO OF HILDA THE ANIMATED SERIES NOW ON NETFLIX!

"Luke Pearson is one of the best cartoonists working today. Hilda is utterly brilliant!"
—Raina Telgemeier, creator of  Smile

A  New York Times ' Notable Book for 2013
One of  School Library Journal 's Top 10 Graphic Novels of 2013
Nominated for the 2014 Eisner for Best Publication for Kids!

Hilda's magical, Eisner-nominated third adventure is now in paperback!

Hilda and her mother have finally laid roots down in their new home in Trolberg. Pining for her magical friends and wonder filled homeland, Hilda is finding it hard to fit in to this crowded new place. But today is somehow different, today Hilda sees a glimmer of the magic she left behind in the fjords.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fantasy, Childrens, Middle Grade, Fiction, Adventure

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Luke Pearson is a British illustrator, cartoonist, and comic book writer best known for the Hilda series of comics for Nobrow Press, and Hilda, the Netflix series based on the comics. He has also storyboarded episodes of the Cartoon Network series Adventure Time, during its fifth and seventh seasons.

Reviews

[Hilary]

Another great Hilda adventure. Having moved to the city Hilda goes to hang out with some kids from school. Their behaviour isn't nice and when it comes to a bird getting hurt Hilda and the group go their separate ways and she stays to help the bird. Leaving the group means she is lost in the city and tries to get home in time to go to the bird parade with her mum. In true Hilda style an adventure ensues with lots of excitement, mythical beasts and kindness. We love these books.

If buying a copy the hardbacks are really worth investing in. They have a really nice cloth covered spine and it's the sort of book that will get plenty of use. We have a paperback copy of the first story that hasn't lasted well. We highly recommend these books for everyone.

[Raina]

I was a little sad that Pearson urbanized the story. AND introduced Hilda to more modern-feeling kids. Although many of the magical elements are still around, including jaded kids brings me to the conclusion that Hilda is an exception in her world. So, instead of being transported to a new world to ME, I find myself looking at Hilda and her view of the world more as anomaly in her world, possibly even viewing things in her world in a different ways than other actors in it.

Maybe I'm being overly analytical.

I enjoyed the story, and the Raven, and the statue, and her door observations.
And will still probably booktalk it to elementary kids a couple of months, bc love so much about this world.

I guess moving the story to the city (complete with a panel which revives all of the creatures of past stories without including new ones), just gives me the impression that he's running out of ideas. Which is worrying.

[Kitty G Books]

* I was sent this for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review *

This book is fabulous and it's my first experience reading a book in the Hilda series. I didn't even know this was a series of graphic novels, but I am so glad that there are others out, becuase I definitely want to get them! This one is the third on in the series, but you can definitely start by reading this one as it seems like one entire adventure and each book is focused on another adventure. I have to say this really was a fun little read!

This story follows young Hilda as she and her mother move to a city rather than the great mountainous outdoors she is used to. Hilda is unsure about the city at first, but as she goes out and explores she meets some strange friends and has a new adventure with them.

The artwork of this story is marvellous. I loved all the pops of colour (particularly the blue hair of Hilda) and the layouts are brilliantly done. I felt like all the panels were super easy to read and understand, and I really enjoyed the whole thing. I can't wait to pick up another one in the series. 4*s and definitely recommended :)

[Jason]

I was expecting something in the vein of Midnight Giant and got something completely different but equally brilliant. I'm sad that Hilda lives in the city now, though, as I want to see more adventures with the Woodman.

[leynes]

Cuteness overload! Luke Pearson's Hilda series is such a joy to follow. I read the iconic Hildafolk years back and then stayed away from the series due to its high price. I was beyond thrilled to get this new book for free. Hilda and the Bird Parade is the cute tale of how Hilda tries to accommodate in her new home.

City life is not for Hilda. Even months after she moved to Trolberg with her mother, she misses the enchanted valleys and the eccentric friends of her old home. But as the day of the annual bird parade comes, the streets are suddenly transformed into a vibrant, exciting sea of ​​color. On the side of a talking raven Hilda plunges into an exciting adventure and discovers that the city is also populated behind its facades by the most peculiar creatures.

This little comic is extremely charming. Hilda is an intriguing heroine. She's funny, she's a little bossy and stubborn, but she also shows her fear and realises what she's gotten herself into something she can't handle on her own. Luke Pearson's dialogue is refreshing, his art is wonderful to look at. I'm a huge fan of Hilda and would definitely recommend the books concerning her.

+++

May 11, 2019 was Free Comic Book Day in Germany. This was one of the titles.

[Dave Schaafsma]

Awesome!

[Kailey (Luminous Libro)]

Hilda and her mother move to Trolberg, away from their beloved mountains, and Hilda is having trouble adjusting to city life. Lost in the maze of streets, she befriends a raven with amnesia, and the two encounter strange creatures and navigate the dark corners of the city, on their way to the Bird Parade.

I loved this 3rd volume! It's so imaginative and colorful. Hilda is adorable and plucky and deliciously weird. Every twist of the plot kept me guessing and wondering, and I loved to see the development in Hilda's character along with her mother.

[Chi]

Re-read 9 July 2020

A seriously gorgeous book. Hilda now lives in Trolberg. Her mum is increasingly paranoid about having her wander around town and potentially getting lost, and she's trying to fit in. I love how straight Hilda's moral compass is: even though some of the school kids she fell in with weren't very nice, she still held her own standards, and remained her true self (including saving wildlife, and learning about the hidden beings that inhabit her world).

The Bird Parade is probably one of my favourites in the series. :)

[Weatherwax]

Die einzelnen Panels sind wie immer großartig gestaltet! Auch die Landkarte am Buchende verschafft einen tollen Überblick.

Das Abenteuer erscheint mir in diesem Band einen Hauch weniger phantasievoll. Aber Hilda darf auch einmal Alltag haben :)

[Betsy]

One Sentence Review: Standing entirely on its own (you don't need to have read the sequel to enjoy it) this is a surprisingly touching tale of what it means to be lost in the center of civilization.

[Faith Erin Hicks]

This was amazing. *_*

[Susan Laws]

I just love Hilda stories, funny, creative, beautifully simple at the same time as being really unique. The artwork and colour palettes are always a treat and I love the supporting characters too, the character in this was a gem 😍

[Jessica]

Pearson blends graphic novel with children's picture books in his Hildafolk series. Borrowing heavily from Scandinavian folklore, the world in which Hilda lives is full of subtly mystical creatures and beings. The series centers around a young girl, Hilda, who enjoys independence, solitude, adventures, and the outdoors. In the Bird Parade, Pearson depicts Hilda's move from her family's isolated country home to the city center nearby. Hilda experiences new surroundings, new friends, and a strain in her relationship with her mother. The interactions between Hilda and her mother are realistic and heart wrenching, transporting readers back to their own impatience and frustrations as children with limited agency. Pearson's stories are not just whimsical and eccentric, they are well-crafted reflections of childhood and familial love, and the ways in which independent children can make decisions for themselves in their limited role within the home, and the bigger world outside. This series is not just enjoyable, it is well told and lovingly executed. I would recommend it to anyone.

[Warren-Newport Public Library]

Love Hilda and her mom, such a great relationship. I also love the art, vibrant colors and great panel movement. And I so want a thunderbird to be my friend. (Amanda)

[Lata]

Cute!

[Cristina Di Matteo]

Hilda E La Parata Dei Pennuti è il terzo, meraviglioso capitolo delle avventure della bambina furbissima che, con la sua innata curiosità, vive avventure magiche. Un fumetto per bambini scoppiettante e dolcissimo che esplora il tema dell’amore tra madre e figlia in modo delizioso. https://ilmondodichri.com/hilda-e-la-...

[Sunny]

I really enjoy how Hilda copes with stressful situations. She is really nervous about settling in a new environment (the city). So off she goes on an adventure that involves helping a bizarre friend find its way home.

[vee]

started with book #3 because annie doesn’t have #1 or #2. so cute! going to read them all

[L. Marcelino]

The coziest stories in the entire world.

[Kerfe]

This is the second Hilda book I've read and I love it even more than the first one. Hilda has moved to the city, and she and her mother are confronted with a strange world full of new fears. Hilda's openness to life and generosity stand in sharp contrast to her new school "friends" as she learns to navigate her changed environment. Magic and myth are still present, though--waiting to be found and celebrated.

[Mathew]

The third in the Hilda stories shows Pearson finding his stride. Although I was, like Hilda, saddened that we had moved from the valleys to the town, I cannot deny that the world Pearson creates here is as imaginative and absorbing as the enchanted fjords where she grew up in.

Whilst the first book focused much on Hilda's expressions and spirit, this is a far more mature book in Pearson's crafting of character and place. On the surface, the story is a simple one but the characters are rich, the relationship between Hilda and her mother become far more interesting and the addition of a group of friends for Hilda makes it easier to understand her character more as she challenging their attitudes towards the natural world. The underlying themes of adjusting to a new place as well as preserving a sense of identity in a world full of strong characters are also good discussion points.

From a life in the wild to a life in the suburbs, both Hilda and her mother find themselves unsure of their new surroundings and try to adjust to the change of lifestyle living among people. What comes through in this story is Hilda's tremendous sense and strength of spirit. Unwilling to bend to the peer pressure of her friends, she will do what she wants and thinks is right. These scenes in the book are beautiful and Pearson has created in her a wonderful ambassador for valuing a sense of self.

Each time I review a Hilda book I state that they need to be in classrooms. The illustrations are rich and so carefully thought out. The shift from frame to full-page bleeds, to multiple same-size panels are all used so well to help build character, slow and speed space or celebrate the world Hilda inhabits.

[Marc *Dark Reader with a Thousand Young! Iä!*]

I didn't give the book format much thought until now, but I realize that this tall, thin hardcover format is very European; I am most familiar with this size of book from Tintin or Lucky Luke. The author and publisher are British. I think this helps the books to stand out in North America amongst a sea of graphic novels.

The subject matter in this entry continues to get more serious, setting this apart from a mere children's book. I think of it as an all-ages graphic series. The characters struggle with living in a new environment after the loss of their home in the prior book. The mother's emotional reactions to Hilda are very genuine; as I parent, I completely understood it when she snapped at Hilda with "Because I said so!", and the intense fear that she had when Hilda may have been lost. The group of children that Hilda encounters show callousness and cruelty; this sets Hilda apart. I adored when, on her turn to play Nicky-Nine-Doors/Knock-Knock-Ginger/Ding-Dong-Ditch or whatever you may call it, she just stands there and has a pleasant and kindly interaction with the woman who answers.

This book does not spend much time on it, but there is a significant moment that highlights the main thrust of the series: the trolls.

Overall, we see that even in town, this world is full of fantastic creatures and adventure. May we all keep an open heart like Hilda.

[Heather]

As I make my way through Luke Pearson's "Hilda" graphic novels for kids, I find myself liking each one more than the last. The art is consistently excellent—I like the colors, the clean lines, and how it rewards attention to detail—and the stories keep getting better. This one opens with a scene from Hilda's life in the country, where she used to wander on her own to the edge of the forest to draw, and her mom was fine with it. Now, Hilda and her mom have just moved to the city of Trolberg, and Hilda's planning some solo exploration of their neighborhood, but her mom doesn't think it's safe. She wants Hilda to stay inside for the day, but promises they can go out together to the town's annual Bird Parade that night. Some kids from Hilda's school show up, though, and her mom lets her go out with them. But rather than drawing or reading or even playing at the playground, these kids amuse themselves by pulling pranks on strangers and throwing rocks at birds: Hilda, who is kind and has a rapport with all kinds of creatures, is clearly horrified. When one of the kids actually hits a bird with a rock, Hilda rushes to help it, and her interactions with the bird lead to further wanderings, and to the kind of adventure she maybe didn't think was possible in the city.

[Mehsi]

Tweede keer gelezen: 19 Maart 2019. Hergelezen omdat ik de Netflix serie echt prachtig en leuk was. Ik herkende hier wat dingen van de serie in, maar zag ook wat nieuwere dingen. Ik vond het verhaal nog steeds een beetje zo-zo, Hilda was wel OK, maar soms wel een beetje vervelend. Ja, ik snap dat je door de stad wilt verdwalen, maar de stad is toch heel anders dan de open natuur. Die heeft ook zijn gevaren, maar ik zie je daar niet verdwalen zoals je nu in de stad deed. Ik vond het zielig voor de moeder, die heeft al genoeg aan haar hoofd en dan verdwijnt je kind ook nog eens.
De tekeningen waren zeker niet zo goed als in het vijfde deel, het is nogal stijfjes, maar de achtergronden zijn prachtig.
Ik zal deze niet upraten, 3 sterren is het beste wat ik wil geven.

Eerste keer gelezen: 4 Maart 2017. Het werkte niet helemaal voor mij. Prachtige tekeningen, maar ik vond het verhaal maar apart en vreemd. Tja, misschien had ik niet met boek 3 moeten beginnen, alleen wist ik dat niet (want dat staat nergens op het boek of door de bibliotheek ergens neergezet), maar het kan ook de vertaling zijn, het was echt heel droog. Misschien koop ik de Engelse versie wel, misschien werkt dat beter.

[Andrea Lorenz]

Hilda and her mom are getting settled in to their new life and home in Trolberg, though Hilda can't roam as she please, she still finds time to get in a little adventure.

Confession time: I received this paperback copy of Hilda from Flying Eye Press quite a while ago and it sat on my desk and then on my kitchen table for the longest time ever. I finally brought it back to put in my prize book pile and just opened it up randomly and ended up reading the whole thing. It's short and sweet. Hilda is lovable - just a kid who wants to have her freedom and her adventure and fun, but still really loves and cares about her mom (who acts like a real person, yay!). This was fun and cute and I really really really want to read more Hilda, especially if there's a tv show in the works. I'd give this to kids who like comics and mythology and strong characters.

[Elena Coorie]

En esta nueva aventura, Hilda tendrá que abandonar el bosque que tanto ama para mudarse a la gran ciudad. Sin embargo, en Trolberg nada es lo que parece y pronto descubrirá el misterio que hay en torno a la profecía del gran cuervo.

Como las demás, una historia preciosa llena de aventuras y valores. Perfecto para leer antes de dormir, tanto para niños como para mayores 😌

[Marie the Librarian]

I adore the Hilda stories, they are magical and wonderful and so imaginative and adorable.

[Holka z Moravy]

Hilda je prostě nejvíc. ♥️

[S. Wigget]

This is delightful, like the tv show on Netflix.

[Chris]

The appeal that graphic novels can have for me is generally the combination of text and image, even though certain brilliant examples of the genre eschew text altogether.

Just as comics have always done, the primary aim is to tell a story, but because we are social animals we pick up much more from cues such as visuals, so that words spoken or written become just one part of the meanings we draw from social interactions.

And so it is with Luke Pearson’s Hilda and the Bird Parade, the third in a series of six fantasy novels which feature a young girl living in an unnamed Nordic country and recount her encounters with humans and mythical beings. And it is the visual cues allied with storyline and text that make this particular title so especially appealing.

It begins with Hilda, our blue-haired pre-teen, waking one morning, looking out of her window at a mountain scene and enthusiastically going out to spend the day with her pencils and flute and a book about rock moss wandering around the countryside. Dressed in her distinctive red pullover, blue skirt and red boots, with a black beret and scarf she is off for an idyllic day with the full approval of her mother, who works from home as a graphic designer.

But then, a year later, they have moved to the city of Trolberg and all is different: it’s a grey townscape she looks out onto, and her mother is anxious for Hilda: she thinks the place is big and new and scary and Hilda might get lost. Why can’t Hilda go out on her own? “Because I SAID so” is the ultimate answer – until Hilda’s new schoolmates arrive to ask her out to play. Her anxiety only slightly lessened, Hilda’s mum agrees, and so begins an unforgettable day.

Luke Pearson’s story and images reveal the gap between Hilda’s innocence and innate kindness compared with the worldly-wise city kids and their mischief and casual cruelty towards animals, including injuring a bird. They abandon her, letting Hilda deal with what we assume is a crow but which appears, unexpectedly, to be able to talk; it also realises it’s forgotten how to fly. In the labyrinth of the city’s streets Hilda, trying to find her way back home with the bird, finds there’s as much to examine in urban architecture as in the countryside. Yet meanwhile, at home, Hilda’s mum is slowly regretting allowing her only daughter out.

More than this I won’t reveal because this is a story to relish for its fantasy and its humanity. There are monsters and mythical creatures, a pet deerfox called Twig and a giant statue of what can only be Odin; there’s jeopardy, and a parade, and parental despair; and central to it all is this warmhearted, curious mite called Hilda whom only a coldhearted reader could fail to become fond of.

And what of Hilda’s companion, the bird? Odin’s two messenger ravens were called Huginn and Muninn, Thought and Memory, and though he later seems to morph into a being from First Nations mythology this one clearly alludes to the former corvid. Though faintly reminiscent of the raven in Joan Aiken’s Arabel and Mortimer stories, Hilda’s raven is no mischievous pet, nor is he a raven god – he is something else altogether.

In this charming tale, therefore, it’s the combination of Luke Pearson’s distinctive visual style and his focus on character that charmed this reader. Justifiable comparisons have been made with Miyazaki’s ethos for his Studio Ghibli animations and with the melancholy whimsy of the Moomins, Tove Jansson’s Finnish trolls; but in graphic terms I’m also reminded of the French bandes dessinées I enjoyed in my teens (and even later). Here there’s also the muted colours – teals, ochres and beige – the day and night contrasts, the windows into souls that are characters’ eyes, all of which I think distinguish Pearson’s approach from those noted comparisons.

And I defy anyone who considers themself as somewhat nerdy, bookish, possibly introverted but also kindhearted, not to warm to Hilda and her mum, maybe even to see their own nature somewhat reflected back.