Frank and Bert - by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

A hilarious new picture book from bestselling author of The Suitcase, Chris Naylor-Ballesteros!

Frank and Bert are the best of friends, and they LOVE playing hide-and-seek. But Bert the bear isn't quite as good at hiding as he thinks he is . . . and Frank ALWAYS wins! Every. Single. Time.

But when it's Bert's turn to hide, and Frank has to decide between winning again OR making his friend happy, Frank learns that friendship is always the true winner. This interactive and entertaining story about friendship is guaranteed to get children giggling!

Listen to the free Stories Aloud audiobook- just scan the QR code on the back cover to read along with the story!

Other Books in the Series:
Frank and Bert: The One Where Bert Learns to Ride a Bike
Frank and Bert: The One With the Missing Cookies

From the Back Cover

Frank and Bert LOVE to play hide-and-seek.

But Bert isn't very good at hiding . . . even though he thinks he is.

See?

And so Frank ALWAYS wins.
Every.
Single.
Time.

But what if winning ISN'T everything?
Maybe . . .
just maybe . . .
Frank will find out that being a GOOD FRIEND comes first . . .

Review Quotes

Who is a better friend, Bert or Frank?

Bert, a huge, lumbering bear, and Frank the fox are BFFs who love to play hide-and-seek, but Bert is terrible at it. His idea of a killer hiding spot? The top of a tree with absolutely no foliage. Bert never wins, but he wants to-at least once-and argues that counting to 10 doesn't give him enough time. Frank agrees to count to 100, and Bert races over hills and across a body of water and into a cave. Surely, Frank won't find him now. But, unbeknownst to Bert, his scarf caught on a tree limb and unraveled, leaving a clear trail of his journey that Frank follows. But just before Frank reaches out to yank Bert's tail, Frank realizes how sad Bert will be if he is found. Instead, Frank shouts, "I GIVE UP!" and Bert is the happiest bear in the world. Back home, ever the friend, Frank reknits Bert's scarf. This sweet friendship tale brims with both humor and heart. Illustrations, perfect for storytime, consist of large textured blocks of rich colors highlighted against a white background; Bert's bright pink scarf and Frank's blue hat pop beautifully. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

An uplifting and eye-catching tale in which being a good friend trumps winning every time. (Picture book. 3-6)

--Kirkus Reviews

A fox called Frank introduces himself and his best friend, a bear called Bert. They love to play hide-and-seek-but Bert is terrible at hiding. Frank counts to 100 to give Bert more time, but as the numbers trail across the pages, Bert's bright pink scarf comes unraveled, leaving an easy trail for Frank to follow. Frank realizes that "even though I love winning, I love my best friend more!" and pretends to give up, making Bert the happy winner. When it's Frank's turn to hide, he's full of confidence, but readers will notice that Bert is holding a dangling piece of yarn from Frank's blue hat, which begins to unravel as he runs off; on the final page, Bert is winking directly at readers. Bert is brown, shaped like an elongated gumdrop, with scribbly fur; Frank has pointy ears, a bushy tail, and straight orange and cream fur (he also holds his knitting needles correctly on the title page). Hot pink endpapers match the color and texture of Bert's scarf. Naylor-Ballesteros takes a familiar game and gently subverts expectations, bringing readers in on the joke, and showing an example of a friend choosing kindness over victory. VERDICT Engaging characters, kind friends, a game of hide-and-seek, and some playful fourth wall-breaking make for an excellent read-aloud; this is highly recommended.--Jenny Arch, School Library Journal

Naylor-Ballesteros, whose 2020 book about the experience of being a refugee, The Suitcase, centers on kindness, returns to this value here, showcasing it in a game of hide-and-seek. Crucial to the plot are a knitted scarf and a knitted hat. Fox, the narrator and knitter, tells us that he and his best friend, Bear, love to play hide-and-seek, but Bear is terrible at hiding. Flashback to examples of Bear's too-obvious hiding places. Bear claims Fox doesn't give him enough time, so Fox counts to 100. The unwary Bear snags his scarf on a tree at the start, so as Fox counts for seven pages, we see Bear leaving a long, looping trail of pink yarn over hills, down dales, through a stream, and up a mountain. Too easy! Fox finds Bear with his backside sticking out of a cave and shouts "I give up!" so Bear can, finally, win. A fun, interactive read, with jolly colored-pencil illustrations, plot twists, and a clear message about friendship.--Connie Fletcher, Booklist

Engaging characters, kind friends, a game of hide-and-seek, and some playful fourth wall-breaking make for an excellent read-aloud; this is highly recommended.--School Library Journal

A fun, interactive read, with jolly colored-pencil illustrations, plot twists, and a clear message about friendship.--Connie Fletcher, Booklist

"An uplifting and eye-catching tale in which being a good friend trumps winning every time."--Kirkus

About the Author

Chris Naylor-Ballesteros is originally from Bradford, England, and studied illustration and graphic design at Bradford College of Art.
When his children were small, Chris realized he loved the picture books he read to them, sometimes even more than his children did - and has since written and illustrated many books.
Chris lives near Limoges in France with his family and pet dog.