The Brothers Zzli

It has barely been 24 hours since the release of the “𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗭𝘇𝗹𝗶” in English and bookstagram is buzzing with praise – and now I know why!

Recommended for Grades 3 and above, this is an allegory of immigration, hospitality, and xenophobia.

A girl lives in a big house in the middle of the forest. One day, three bears who have been on the road for sometime, come looking for somewhere to live. The bears are big and strong – the only difference being how much fur each one has on its forehead. The girl lets them in. The bears have one serving too many, but they are full of life. They share their story of being driven away from their home and eventually the girl and the bears build a relationship of trust and empathy. But unfortunately, the neighbours look at the bears with suspicion. The girl and her friend the bat try to convince them but to no avail. The bear brothers make themselves useful but neighbours fear that soon they will be outnumbered. Next, the police come visiting and make life difficult. Eventually the brothers are suspected of starting a fire… What would the bears eventually do? Will the girl and the bat help the brothers? Read and find out…

What a clever use of allegory and anthropomorphism in contemporary children’s literature! A must-read everywhere in the world in these times…