This book had pretty illustrations and the overall idea of the story was good; the theme of being seen. However, the story lacked flow and even the illustrations seemed jumpy in order to match that.

Received galley for unbiased review.

I will be purchasing this book for my kids. It touches on so many important topics: loneliness, friendship, sharing, and even death (in an approachable and kid-appropriate way). The illustrations were absolutely beautiful, the perfect visual aid to take the story up a notch. I really hope this turns into a series that explores other emotions and life lessons. I'd love to see the bear move forward with his newfound view of the world.

Not much by way of a story here, but the illustrations are breathtakingly beautiful. A true work of art.

The Invisible Bear was an absolutely beautiful picture book about change, loss, connection, joy. The illustrations perfectly mimicked the words of the story to bring it to life. The bear was lonely and gray until one day a new neighbor moved in. Bear wasn't sure he was thrilled with the new neighbor but learned compassion, care and connection were worth taking a chance and making a change. Love this book!

This was a really sweet story. I loved the art and thought that it really fit the style of the story. I loved the growth of both characters in such a little amount of time. I loved how they both showed that they had different personalities and they were still friends even though they were different. I do think that some of the concepts could have been explained more clearly for younger readers. Overall, this was a really beautiful book.

First of all although this book seems to be a children's book I don't recommend it as such just since it is slightly confusing and would be better off shared as an interactive book with an adult to introduce conversational topics about mental health.

When I started off reading the book I was quite sure that it was about depression for all the words match up for that silent, gray and lonely while the transparent bear has a rain cloud above his head. Furthermore no one visits him but nor does it seem like he wants to visit others thus part of his supposed transparency.

Where the confusion came to me, though, was the change after Madame Odette. The concept that it was a story about depression changed when the bear's pleasure activities were interrupted by the hobbies of his name. All of a sudden it seemed like the story's theme changed from depression to a classic conflicting case of introversion versus extroversion within a budding friendship. That and the magical aspect of the story really does throw things for a loop....

But even with the conflicting plot points I must give kudos to the illustrations. They are gorgeous and detailed whlile giving the book a magical touch. The color palette follows the story by starting off on a grayscale color palette then slowly introducing colors to show the development of the story itself. If the book is confusing and lacks in the story it most definitely makes it up in the illustrations. Bonus try to find Odette's cat in all her illustrations.

All in all I would have to say that I do recommend this book for those who may want a bit of a challenging read that makes them to draw their own conclusions. Otherwise if you want a cut-and-dry story then this is one to steer away from.

***I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review***

The art in The Invisible Bear is so dreamy and whimsical. My children loved this story and it feels so perfect for bed time.

The story and art were were cute, but the text was difficult to read. That may just be due to the digital format though.

A bear sits in his quiet, colorless home in a forgotten place. He feels invisible; no one comes to see him, and he spends his days alone.

A sweet book with a simple message about friendship. Soft drawings and few words make this a good first storybook.

This book is beautiful, and not just for the artwork. The story is well-written for a young child to understand the text without too many "why?" interruptions. But the message is also wonderful! The bear feels invisible, but realizes when a new neighbor moves in that he is not so. And even when the neighbor leaves, she leaves behind enough for the bear to remember that he is not invisible.

I would have loved to see just a page or two more of what the bear did after the neighbor left him, but really it was a beautifully written message reminding us that there is always someone who sees us!

Asimple act of kindness brings two unlikely friends together.
A bear who has always been by himself, sits in his quiet, colorless home in a forgotten place. He feels invisible; no one comes to see him, and he spends his days alone.
Then someone moves in next door. Madame Odette who proves to be a colorful new neighbor.
The two meet through an act of kindness, and they become friends.

This is a beautiful book and I felt it was trying to send a profound message,but the story didn’t really add up in the end.

It is an adorable book with wonderful illustrations that are full of whimsy, but I felt that there could have been more textual content or none at all. The story is mainly told in the pictures, which is a perfectly valid way of conveying information. It seemed that the story would have been more meaningful told solely with images--but the "prose" of the story is not poorly expressed. It just seems unnecessary or additive.

ARC Copy...the illustrations were beautiful. Water colour (I assume so) is a delight to behold and is good for emphasizing and highlight the colourful changes the grey bear under goes from the positive influence of his new colourful neighbor!

The illustrations in this book are charming. The contrast between gray and color, loneliness and cheerfulness is well done. However, the story leaves a lot to be desired. It's heavily symbolic and could have done with a few more pages to give the reader clarification on what exactly the point is.

I felt that it was trying to say something about the value of friends with different personalities, or maybe something about depression, but in the end I just wasn't sure.

The Invisible Bear by author-illustrator Cécile Metzger.
Publication Date: August 4, 2020

Description from NetGalley...
“A simple act of kindness brings two unlikely friends together in this profound picture book about the transformative power of friendship.

A bear sits in his quiet, colorless home in a forgotten place. He feels invisible; no one comes to see him, and he spends his days alone.

Then someone moves in next door. Madame Odette is sound and sunshine, and at first, the bear isn't sure about this colorful new neighbor.

But through an act of kindness, the bear and the Madame Odette meet, and as time goes by, they become friends. And in the end, they are both forever changed by the gifts they bring each other.”

Thank you to @NetGalley, @randomhousecanada @tundrabooks for the digital ARC in return for my honest review.

My thoughts...
This is for a more mature young-reader or a read-along for younger-reader. I love the water-colour illustrations in this book. It’s simple, pretty and calming. Even for mature young-reader, I recommend adults to read it with them, because the story has some parts that used symbolism and it’s quite profound. This book feels like a poem, illustrated. It’s a soft and gentle story on friendship, companionship, sadness and grief. In the end, a message of hope and love.

This book reveals how two improbable friends come together through a random act of kindness.

"In a lonely, forgotten place, there lives a bear.
The bear felt invisible."


He is totally isolated from others and his world is dull, colourless and blah! Then one day someone comes to live next door to him. It is Madame Odette.

"She lived in a cheerful world of color and sound."

Bear isn't sure if all those bright colours and noisy activity so close to him will suit his lifestyle. After all he does love his peace and quiet. Then one day he hears a different sound coming from his neighbour's yard.

"My poor flowers... the sun is drying them up!" sobs Madame Odette.

Bear decides to go next door to ask if he might be of help. That single act of thoughtfulness changed his life ( and hers ) forever. Together they create a very special friendship where each can be exactly who they are .... themselves! It works tremendously well for both of them!

The illustrations are lovely and the inspiring message of the book is a wonderful life lesson to be learned for those of all ages. This is a debut book by the author-illustrator Cécile Metzger and I recommend it.

Absolutely gorgeous illustrations. I am in awe. A bittersweet story about finding and losing companionship. We only just need one person to notice us and show us kindness for our whole world to change. A lovely tale about being different and accepted for it, about loss and depression, about nurturing one another and helping each other bloom. Quite profound and symbolic.

Love the soft art and that we can learn a little bit from one another who we are different from.

Get a little calmer and get a little more colorful.

Simple and no twists or anything other than the exact synopsis.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review,

The illustrations in this book are absolutely beautiful, however the story itself seemed confusing. I feel like there could be more to the story between when the bear decides to help with the flowers and the end, it feels rushed and like it is missing something. In another light, it could make a great wordless picture book where children can interpret the meaning for themselves.

Absolutely stunning book! The gorgeous watercolor illustrations are frame-worthy!
Bear is isolated and feels invisible until Madame moves in next door and brightens Bear’s world with color, sound; and eventually friendship and kindness. A wonderful addition to any young reader’s library.