By Trude Tjensvold
Bella the Beaver loves living in her forest, but she doesn’t like all the animals
that come out to graze here. Most of all that irritating pig, Hamilton. He always
thinks he knows best! What’s more, he thinks all the wild animals in the forest are
old-fashioned and boring.
Soon Midsummer is here, and Bella wants to make a huge bonfire for St Hans
just like they always do. But Hamilton would rather do a barbecue for the festival –
it’s far more modern. This sparks a competition between the two, and things soon
get out of hand. It isn’t long before the entire forest is ablaze.
The illustrations are richly peppered with little sideplots that take place in the
background of the main story. We get to know a draft horse who strikes up a dance,
a forest mouse and an ox who become friends and a cow who flirts with a moose.
Bonfire is a fun, playful picture book, which at its heart is a tale all about teamwork.
Perhaps the one you thought to be your enemy, wasn’t that bad after all.