Polo Finds a Friend

This small square book with its pulls and flap is a masterly account in miniature of the trials and the pleasures of friendship, touching on such important early childhood themes as losing and finding, loving and hating.

Polo the dog has a new friend, a Siamese cat. ‘She had some annoying habits’ the text tells us while the illustration has Polo looking put out as cat tucks into his dinner. The friends have things in common (they both like to scratch) but the cat goes too far when she decides to take a nap in Polo’s basket. He barks at her, she runs away but then he misses her. Will he find her again? Look behind the (garden shed) flap, dear Reader.

With so much so lightly and delightfully contained in this tiny book, tribute must be paid to Steve Augarde’s paper engineering which has Chichester Clark’s elegant feline springing terrified from Polo’s basket or, friends again, washing Polo’s nose affectionately. Chichester Clark clearly knows her cats and dogs so expressively well observed are they in this affectionate and entertaining little story. Toddlers will love it. Why can’t all early novelty titles be so good?