Frank and Bert by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros

UPDATE (2023) the latest Frank and Bert is out on the 12th January 2023. Frank and Bert: The One Where Bert Learns to Ride a Bike. It’s brilliant and you can find a review and inside images at the end of this review.

It’s beautifully illustrated with pops of neon colouring through the characters’ scarfs that really bring the story to life.

Frank and Bert

My daughter (5) loved that it was a book with “big numbers in to 100”. The illustrations tell just as much of the story as the words. A little spoiler alert. The shriek of delight from my daughter when she realised the scarf was unravelling and leaving a trail was brilliant! I love books that let the reader feel like they discover something hidden about a book that maybe not everyone might spot.

Synopsis

Frank and Bert are the best of friends. The both love playing hide and seek but Frank the fox always wins and finds Bert the bear. Will Frank realise that there is more to playing the game than just winning.

This would be the prefect book to read to a child who always feels they need to win. Teaching the value of friendship and supporting how others feel.

The message of friendship and kindness shine through this book and you can’t help but have warm fuzzy feelings after reading.

It would be a great one for early readers to have a go at sharing the reading as there are ideal sentences to practise growing phonetical knowledge.

Chris Naylor-Ballesteros

I really enjoyed reading Chris’s guest blog post on the Nosy Crow website. I was fascinated to learn that Chris actually had several versions of how the story of these two adorable characters would go. Chris continually comes back to the book’s fundamental message being about friendship. I was incredibly touched to hear the book was dedicated to his best friend who has very sadly recently passed.

Activity Sheets

Nosy Crow have a couple of lovely activities to go alongside this book. One is a matching game which would be great for a younger audience and then there is a story board where you can draw, write or both the story from Bert’s perspective. You can find the activity sheets here.

Thank you #NetGalley for this eARC most enjoyable and we’ll certainly be buying a physical copy from our local bookshop.

Frank and Bert: The One Where Bert Learns to Ride a Bike

Just like the first book it’s cute and quirky and a heart-warming delight. Again, like with the first book, we see pops of neon colour on an otherwise pastel palette telling the tale of this fabulous duo.

Frank and Bert: The One Where Bert Learns to Ride a Bike Synopsis

Frank and Bert are best of friends, dear friends. Yet Frank lets Bert down in a big way while he’s learning to ride a bike. Frank works hard to figure out how to regain Bert’s trust. However, the pair still find themselves in bike riding peril. Although, their friendship and trust in each other shines through to save the day.

Frank and Bert: The One Where Bert Learns to Ride a Bike Review

We loved the cycle helmets that the pair wore. Our favourite spread is with the chicks wearing their little bobble hats while another animals has an unfortunate incident with his tail when Bert wibble-wobbles over it!

The moral is clear and one that is so important for our children to learn. Together, and with trust in each other, we can achieve our goals. I hope everyone gets to have a friend like Frank or Bert in their lifetime.

Nosy Crow Stories Aloud

Nosy Crow children’s paperback books come with a free audio reading of the book too. There’s a QR code that you can scan to get access to the story.

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