This month it is my privilege to once again review a forthcoming translated title from Eerdman’s Books for Young Readers. Originally published in France, The Brothers Zzli is at first glance a story about a small girl and three bears—a sort of riff on the classic English fairy tale. But it’s actually an allegory about hospitality, welcoming the stranger, and advocating for the marginalized, even if the cost is great.

Our narrator lives in a house much too large for her, deep in the forest. She confesses to sometimes being bored, so her little bat-friend suggests that she take in some friends of his that are in need of a place to live. The visitors arrive the very next day: three bears who look nearly identical to one to one another, “tall and strong, almost like boulders or mountains.”

Introducing themselves as “the four brothers Zzli” (they do not explain why there’s only three of them), they are “truly delightful.” They complement their host’s cooking, and thank her with gallant bows. By the fire, the brothers Zzli share their story of exile from their home, and of their long travels.

The bears fill the girl’s home with juggling, acrobatics, and little dances. The girl finds herself laughing much more than she has in a long time, even if the brothers snore loudly and root in her things in the attic. To celebrate their arrival, the bears invite the entire forest to a party with crêpes, honey, and milk, but no one comes, save for the girl’s little bat-friend. It turns out that the other residents of the forest do not want the bears there, and shun them and the girl.

One night a fire breaks out, and the house is destroyed. The bothers Zzli blame themselves, and vow to leave. The girl decides to leave with them, hopefully to find some place in the world that would welcome three bears, a girl, and a bat.

The Brothers Zzli is the English language debut of author Alex Cousseau and illustrator Anne-Lise Boutin, both established creators in their native France. The illustrations’ plant and animal motifs, as well as its simplified color palate of blue, red, yellow, and green (along with black and white), have a hint of the familiar in them. As I read the book, I could not shake the feeling that I had seen illustrations like these before. They are very retro, but also attractive and engaging without being cutesy. It ultimately reminded me of books I read as a child in Puerto Rico, books published in Europe and Latin America in the 1980s and 70s.

The wordier text, translated by Vineet Lal, is most appropriate for older children, ages six and up. These older readers will appreciate the bits of wordplay (such as, for example, the bears’ monikers “Yes,” “No,” and “Maybe”) scattered throughout. Because of the subject matter, it might behoove parents and children to read this book together. There is nothing inappropriate or graphic here, of course. But children may need to talk with a trusted adult about why a police officer (represented as a sort of ladybug wearing a cap low over their eyes) would visit and announce that they planned to destroy the beehives the brothers Zzli had put up. Another sensitive moment is the burning down of the girl’s home in the middle of the night. Why would the bears think that the fire was started by “the folks who don’t like us?” This book gives readers of all ages the opportunity to discuss immigration, refugees, and xenophobia in an accessible and beautiful way.

Title:  The Brothers Zzli

Written by Alex Cousseau

Illustrated by Anne-Lise Boutin

Translated from French by Vineet Lal

Eerdman’s Books for Young Readers, forthcoming October 24, 2023

Originally published as Les Frères Zzli 2022, Éditions Les Fourmis Rouges

ISBN: 978-0-8028-5609-8

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Reviews: Kirkus, The Horn Book, School Library Journal, Booklist

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Klem-Marí Cajigas has been with Nashville Public Library since 2012, after more than a decade of academic training in Religious Studies and Ministry. As the Family Literacy Coordinator for Bringing Books to Life!, Nashville Public Library’s award-winning early literacy outreach program, she delivers family literacy workshops to a diverse range of local communities. In recognition of her work, she was named a 2021 Library Journal “Mover and Shaker.” Born in Puerto Rico, Klem-Marí is bilingual, bicultural, and proudly Boricua.