Ernest and Celestine (urspr publ 1981; utgåvan 1982)

The story is cute and the art is very well done. Celestine loses her favorite toy in the snow and ernest works hard to replace it. The love Ernest shows her and the love she has for her toy and the joy of sharing are all very evident.
For very young children, this is great but for a child who likes to ask questions, this book holds plenty. Such as "Why didn't Ernest just rescue the frozen toy?" Is Ernest her dad? She lives with his so he must be. Why doesn't she call him that and why is he a bear and not a mouse like her"
When reading this book with a small group of children at the library, I was bombarded with these questions. I could make assumptions to go with it but I hate doing that to another's work. So it did cost the book. But still, overall work the read and the classic art style is wonderful. ( )

Such a tender book! This is one of those books that pinches your heart. I'm not sure if it was the delicate watercolor illustrations, the expressive faces of Celestine and Ernest, or the sparsity of words that touched me the most, but this story of friendship is so lovingly told.

My 4 year old really empathized with the characters, however he didn't understand why Ernest didn't rescue the frozen little stuffed bird when he found him in the snow, rather than go search for a new one. But he loved the solution they eventually came up with. And he got extra satisfaction out of reading himself a book that didn't have enlarged letters or "early reader" written all over it. We'll definitely try to find more books in this series, so sweet.

And funny how just recently we discovered another story about a "lost bird" in the wonderful [b:Home for Bird|12567892|A Home for Bird|Philip C. Stead|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348636313s/12567892.jpg|17576044]. ( )

I think as a mother I can particularly relate to this book. Most children lose a favorite toy at some point and has to deal with the loss. This book makes the transition from accepting a new Gideon a bit too easy. My own son grieved for weeks after a similar event but eventually found a new favorite on his own. He had a bear which he named flying bear and threw it out of the window on a busy street. As much as I wanted to go and retrieve it, it was just too dangerous. Replacing him was not an option, instead we decided that he flew off to a new home to make another child happy. Each child will handle things differently and for some this story offers the best solution. This book may be great for some children while it will totally miss the mark with others. ( )