Houghton Mifflin 2012
"In a collection that celebrates loving friendship, Brown artfully captures the comforting, sometimes odd moments of true affection."
— Kirkus
"[Brown] pairs a heaping spoonful of nonsense with unexpected yet genuine observations about the joy of companionship."
— Publishers Weekly, starred review
"The cheerful, rhythmic rhymes help make this book perfect for reading aloud, and it would be an ideal choice for two friends to share."
— School Library Journal
"This small book, not much bigger than a greeting card, celebrates friendship in short poems and imaginative drawings. . . . Use this as a jumping off place for creating Valentine's Day cards."
— Booklist
This book, comprised of 18 first-person poems that are all about 10 lines each, emphasizes the importance of friendship and the little ways in which people can express their gratitude for one another. Each spread has a snappy poem and a colorful picture. The illustrations range from subtle to celebratory, and the characters depicted give deeper meaning to the selections. Different ethnicities and even species are represented (including green space aliens!), but they are not specifically addressed in the text (nor do they really need to be). The poems quietly celebrate all types of friendships, and the narrator(s) show appreciation for the small things that bring friends together, like how one bird encouraged his dog pal to become a braver roller skater, or how one friend has memorized the other's preferences when it comes to a cup of tea, "Noticing things about me, especially, seems to be your specialty." The cheerful, rhythmic rhymes help make this book perfect for reading aloud, and it would be an ideal choice for two friends to share.
– School Library Journal
This small book, not much bigger than a greeting card, celebrates friendship in short poems and imaginative drawings. Whether one pal is asking another to start a band, or both are realizing they’re scallywags (Let’s plan a caper! / We can build a UFO / and fool the local paper), or the friends are simply celebrating how well they go together (Basses and drums. / Pastries and crumbs), these vignettes will make readers smile. That’s also true of the pictures, painted in acrylics, which have a Maira Kalman feel. Some of the sturdy art is whimsically surreal—for instance, an alligator in cowboy clothes gives his beaked lady love a bike ride on his handlebars. And while a few of the poems have a sophistication that might get past the intended audience—like the one in which a beret-wearing dog discusses how he enjoys the way a lady cat completes his sentences—most are on target. Use this as a jumping off place for creating Valentine’s Day cards.
– Booklist