Friends

This delightful picture book is aimed at young children who don’t quite understand who and what friendship means, and it gives a whole new perspective to it.  Accompanied by lively illustrations that explain exactly what is going on between friends, the text, beautifully composed, does not need to do so.  Therefore, we meet a little boy looking into a crib with his new baby sister in it, and the text tells us, ‘Some friends are there from the start.’  Another, showing us a boy on a swing with a huge elephant in the swing beside him says, ‘Some friends can only  be seen by you.’  We learn that friendships can endure or be very short, such as smiling at someone on the street, when the friendship is fleeting; or can begin ‘with words’ and end ‘with anger’.  And so it goes.  Friendship is shown in some unusual ways, but very relevant nonetheless.  Friends can teach you all sorts of things, or make you brave or angry or jealous.  The whole is a great concept, beautifully presented with real children doing real things in what appear to be watercolour or perhaps chalk drawings.  A great treat that both parent and child will appreciate and want to read over and over.