A Friend
In this stirring picture book, dozens of lively, detailed scenarios show that friendship means bonding and loyalty—and also independence and freedom. First published in Germany, this title speaks to universal feelings and relationships, across generation, gender, race, class, disability, and place. In one scene, a boy has the courage to tell a girl the truth about herself, instead of laughing at her, as everyone else does. On another spread, an elderly woman holds a boy when he needs comfort, and she lets him go when he asks her to. Each immediate situation could be a story of its own, and kids can fill in their own experiences as they view each situation. A powerful offering that explores the difference between solitude and loneliness, and the human need for both connection and space, trust and independence. Preschool-Grade 1. --Hazel Rochman