The Invisible Bear

The Invisible Bear, a debut picture book by author/illustrator Cécile Metzger, tells the story of a bear who lives on his own in a grey and quiet world with a rain cloud permanently above his head. When he gets a new neighbor, the colourful and cherry Madame Odette, he is at first bothered by her music and phone calls and zest for life, but, after he uses his personal rain cloud to water her dying flowers, they come to form a bond. The bear learns to enjoy colour and sound; Madame Odette comes to enjoy quiet and stillness. Madame Odette eventually leaves, and the bear is left with a new appreciation for life and the realization that he is not invisible.

The story is familiar – the power of friendship and its effect on mental health – and told in a straightforward way with simple sentences and easy-to-read lettering that would be ideal for early readers. It is unclear why Metzger chose a bear as her protagonist, but it does lend playfulness to the story. The text is spare and unadorned, allowing the images to do the heavy lifting for this book, and indeed, it is the illustrations that are really the star of this book. Using Chinese ink and watercolours, Metzger’s drawings are wistful, rendering everyday objects – a tea kettle, a watering can – in a charming way. In the first section of the book, where the bear is alone and sad, the pictures are soft shades of greys and browns that lend a gloomy atmosphere to the story that mirrors the bear’s sadness. When Madame Odette is introduced, pinks, oranges, and greens burst onto the page.

The Invisible Bear offers a simple story told competently, but it is the illustrations that make it worthwhile, showing that Metzger has a bright future in children’s literature.