Hiro: Winter and Marshmallows
by Marine Schneider; illus. by the author; trans. from French by Vineet Lal
Primary, Intermediate    Eerdmans    40 pp.
9/24    9780802856326    $18.99
e-book ed.  9781467468435    $18.99

A curious bear and a human boy strike up an unexpected friendship in this philosophical Belgian import. In wintertime, Hiro is restless in her family’s den while her three brothers snooze on a four-tiered bunkbed. Tired of counting the hairs on her paw, she ignores her parents’ warnings about the cold, packs her backpack with such necessities as honey and a notebook, and walks out into the snow. Schneider’s evocative art creates a cozy feel in these opening spreads, with the brown of Hiro’s fur popping against the cave’s gray walls and gently falling white snowflakes. Playful text reflects both the bear’s excitement and her trepidation, especially when she sees odd footprints and smells something delicious: marshmallows being toasted by a group of children. A series of witty ­wordless spreads shows the kids spotting her and then fleeing in fear in various directions. After the despondent Hiro starts to cry, one curious and increasingly brave boy, Émile, approaches and calms her. The two engage in an amusing common-ground conversation about what it is like being a bear and what it is like being “an Émile.” A climactic moment with the duo wearing red party hats and enjoying a multicolored campfire brings the narrative to a satisfying close. Hiro can now hibernate peacefully—and readers may have found a new bedtime favorite.

From the ">September/October 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.