Bird, Balloon, Bear

by Il Sung Na

A fresh and heartwarming new story from Il Sung Na about finding the courage to make a friend.

Bird is new to the forest, and he's looking for a friend. Bear could use a friend, too.
But Bird is too shy to introduce himself. Just as he musters the courage to say hello . . . it's too late! Bear has already found a friend: a bright, shiny red balloon.

Has Bird missed his chance?

From the acclaimed Il Sung Na comes a charming and beautifully illustrated story about courage, kindness, and friendship.

Peek inside the jacket for a special poster!

Praise for Il Sung Na:

"Na brings fresh energy to the familiar. With a coloring style that feels as if someone took a firecracker to a box of crayons, Na makes turtle shells as dynamic as a peacock's plumage." --The New York Times (The Opposite Zoo)

"Il Sung Na's illustrative art is so joyous, so jubilantly colorful, it feels celebratory and poetic even when the story is simple and spare." --The Boston Globe (A Book of Babies)

★ "[A] grand read-aloud." --Kirkus Reviews, Starred (Welcome Home, Bear)

★ "It's the rare picture book that, upon arrival, feels as though it has been around for years already; Na's belongs to this group." --Publishers Weekly, Starred (A Book of Sleep)

★ "Vibrant [and] whimsical." --School Library Journal, Starred (Snow Rabbit, Spring Rabbit)

Genres: Picture Books, Friendship, Birds, Animals, Storytime, Childrens, Fiction

26 pages, Hardcover

First published March 14, 2017

About the author

Born in Seoul, South Korea, Il Sung Na studied illustration at Kingston University in London. He currently lives in Kansas City, Missouri, in the USA.

Reviews

[Afaf Ammar · Rating 3 out of 5]

قصة برسوم دافئة عن الصداقة للفنان الكوري الجنوبي إيل سونغ نا،
مشرقة، ودافئة، وحلوة، أحببتها.
في الوقت الذي نبحث فيه عن أحد ما، هناك مَن يبحث عنا أيضًا، وربما يكون نفس الشخص الذي نبحث عنه...💕

05.09.2020

[Christian Schultheiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Il Sung has made quite the friendly, simple, yet adorable children’s book with a special premise on two different kind beings finding each other and even if shy and apprehensive at first. They end up forming a special and destined to be long and lasting friendship, one that came about from a simple red balloon

[Melki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure what the message is behind this one . . . Bear can only have one friend at a time? And, what's with Bear taking about two seconds to mourn his recently departed "friend" before moving on to the next one? Very weird story, but, on the plus side - the author's illustrations are adorable.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

When a little bird sees a bear, he longs to make friends and to play, but is too shy to approach his ursine fellow. When the bear finds a balloon, it seems that the bird has lost his opportunity, until the balloon flies away and pops. In the aftermath, the two animals finally meet, and then become friends...

Pairing a simple but heartfelt tale of a shy creature who longs for a friend with beautiful multimedia illustrations, Bird, Balloon, Bear is another successful picture-book from expatriate Korean artist Il Sung Na. Having admired Na's work for a number of years now, since the publication of his A Book of Sleep, I was happy to come across this recent picture-book. I always enjoy the colors and composition of Na's illustrations, and this was no exception. Recommended to fellow fans of the artist, and to anyone seeking picture-books about feeling shy and/or making friends.

[Rama_flh · Rating 4 out of 5]

کتاب کودک بعدی‌ای که از نشر آبشار خوندم. *-*
نویسنده و تصویرگرش یکی هستن.
موضوع جالبی میتونه برای بچه‌ها باشه.
میتونه به زبان ساده براشون توضیح بده که به چیزی دل نبندن. و حتی بعد از از دست دادن چیزی، میتونن چیز دیگه‌ای رو پیدا کنن.

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

The lovely thing about a picture book creator, is the simplicity. An artist can put one key image in a lot of white space, or can create detailed and complex images, whichever they prefer. The text is often more like poetry than story. And it can be free verse or phrases or no words at all. There is an inclination by newbies and celebrities to produce too much text, possibly just a reluctance to make the leap of faith that the reader doesn't need much. This is an author being selective, beautifully.

Library copy

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Na has a knack for taking a simple concept and elevating it to the sublime. In BIRD, BALLOON, BEAR, friendship is the concept, and Na uses it to create an unbelievably gorgeous meditation on shyness, courage, and acceptance. With skillful page turns, brilliant use of white space, and energetic (bright, broad strokes of color) yet gentle (lots of curved shapes and smiling faces) illustrations, Na has crafted a timeless tale for even the littlest (and the shyest) friends to enjoy.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this on a list of children's books about balloons - what fun! - and couldn't resist the whimsical cover illustrations. Bird is looking for a friend and spots bear, but bear already has a friend, albeit an inanimate one - a balloon! When the balloon gets away from bear, bird tries to save it, but the inevitable happens, and bear has to find a new friend. Which is easy to do, since bird was so helpful and was right on the spot. A sweet story about making new friends, beautifully colored in soft blues and greens as well as vivid reds and yellows, and compiled in Adobe Photoshop from "handmade painterly textures with digitally generated layers."

[Sara Grochowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

New Il Sung Na! I never get tired of Na's illustrations and stories. <3

[Laura Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

There isn't one creation by Il Sung Na I haven't fell madly in love with. Always unusually unique and creative with a whimsy that is difficult to achieve. Can't wait to see what comes next!

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well. OK. I feel like one or two pages are missing in this story. The sudden transition between the balloon to the bird--was that supposed to have humor in its quickness? That's where I felt like it was missing a piece. You know--saying something about the Bear being excited that the Bird replied? Yeah--that's probably the English major in me being really picky. Maybe the preschool kids would get a smile out of this. Cute bear.

3/26/18 Hubby read this on Daddy night a couple weeks ago. It was in her bed when we put her down Friday night, after her being sick. So she must have taken it there during naptime the previous weekend? But she had only wanted one book because of her illness, and then saw this and asked to have it as her second. Tells me she likes it!

9/5/18 Used in Lions, Tigers, and Bears theme. Good fill in book. Easy to understand. Though the boy thought the balloon might be a better friend than the bird.

[Juliana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a sweet, and somewhat sad at times, story of a bird who wanted to make a friend. He found a bear but the bear was already friends with a balloon. When the bear accidentally loses the balloon, the bird tries to catch it for him and makes friends with him like he wanted to all along.

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another beautiful picture book for the smallest of children from this author/illustrator. Bird is new to the forest and hoping to make a friend. He spots Bear but can’t quite get up the courage to speak with him. Suddenly though, he sees that Bear has a friend already: a red balloon. Bear plays all day with Balloon, even watching the sunset together. Then one day, a wind gust carries Balloon up into the sky. Bird who has been watching the entire time, tries to rescue Balloon but it’s too late. Balloon pops. Over the shreds of the balloon, Bird and Bear finally meet and soon they have become real friends.

This picture book looks at the pressures of trying to make a new friend, the shyness that naturally arises during that time, and how to move beyond it. The use of a balloon as the other friend is very clever, allowing Bear to have a close friend of sorts but also allowing even the youngest child to realize that Bird would always have made a much more fun and compelling friend from the start.

The illustrations are playful and light. Done on white backgrounds, the bright colors shine on the page. The forest is filled with purples, blues and greens while the sunset emerges with yellows and reds. Still, the illustrations are simple and friendly. Bear is round and cuddly while Bird is a burst of red color and quiet inquisitiveness.

The complications of new friendship have never been lovelier. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute! <3

[The Library Lady · Rating 2 out of 5]

The point here to me seems to be "I'm too shy to be a friend, so I'll watch someone else be your friend, and then when they're gone, you might pick me just because I'm there."

Truthfully, Bear is a pretty shallow friend. I assume that if Bird gets eaten by a cat, he will wait a beat, then make friends with Cat..............

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The tale starts with a bird. A bird who wants to make friends, but is too shy to do so. As he watches a bear play with his silent friend balloon, bird wants all the more to join in. Then, the little thing gets his chance when the wind lifts the red balloon away. Bird never does find the courage to "make" a friend, but he becomes friends through circumstance. Shy children will understand and relate to this. Words are hard. Because of this, words are appropriately kept to a minimal. The tone is established by the creator's use of white space, and a few pages which are filled with colour. Bird, bear, and the red balloon pop out against this white, and the other predominant hue of bluish green. All three are delightful, and chubby, with very simplistic features. Their story is one to turn to when more traditional "make a friend" books don't fit the child's personality.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bird wanted a friend and finally felt brave enough to say hello to Bear just when Bear found Balloon. When the wind carried away Bear's friend Balloon, Bird tried to help, and things changed in an instant. Cute story about friendship, fun illustrations.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple book about friendship, the illustrations are delightful.

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bird watches as a bear becomes friends with a balloon. Will the bird be able to join in? Cute and simple enough for toddlers.

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming, simple, and whimsical friendship story.

[Alyssa Gudenburr · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very cute story about friendship. Great for storytime.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Purely adorable!

[Casandria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes, you just need that balloon to make your friendship work.

[Brindi Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

love these illustrations

[Ama · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the illustrations. I felt like the story needed just a bit more to it.

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute, but VERY simple. I wanted more.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute book about making friends.

[kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

love the illustrations, not too into the story

[Ashley Aolani Salisbury · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another brilliant story by Il Sung Na!!