My Best Friend
Starred Review.Grade 1-3–Six-year-old Lily longs to be best friends with seven-year-old Tamika. For weeks she pines over the friendship that she believes they would share if not for Lily's babyish bathing suit or Tamika's distracting friend Shanice. In the end the youngster gives up on wanting a buddy who doesn't want her and finds someone even better with whom to share her summer. Rodman's honest text captures the girl's heartbroken disappointment and makes it real for young readers, and Lewis's shining, sun-drenched illustrations convey both the harshness and warmth of the bright days at the pool. This simple but powerful picture book speaks to the yearning outsider in every child. Consider it a first purchase for friendship-themed storytimes, bibliotherapy, and for its gorgeous, almost palpably liquid art.–Catherine Threadgill, Charleston County Public Library, SCCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.