Mark Hadley and illustrated by Nathan Lee, Christian Education Publications
Friends is a follow-up to Home. Both are picture books for children who find the rules of friendship — making and maintaining it — tricky.
Friends doesn’t have the dry humour of Home. However, it does provide an important message to children who find the power play of the playground incomprehensible.
The power play is described in scenes that everyone will be familiar with:
“Panda had to eat Scrummees when Belle wanted to eat Scrummees, even if Dennis was going skating.
“If he went skating with Dennis, Belle wouldn’t talk to him.
“But if he stayed to scoff Scrummees, Dennis would call him ‘Fatso!’
“That left Panda feeling funny in the middle.”
Me too. It reminded me strongly of being in grade two.
Friends has lots of pictures; my favourite being the giraffe sitting on a sofa with a remote control in one hoof.
It ends with a message for parents on friendship issues and moral values that they can discuss with their children.
Katy Gerner
