When their acquaintance Pig shows up and invites them out to play, they make it clear that two is the perfect number of friends in a friendship. Eventually, Bear shares the blanket and the friends reunite. When Bird brings him tea, worried he might be sick, she hears him talking to his “smooshy, soft Suzie Woozie” and thinks she has been replaced as his best friend. The most intriguing story is “The Blanket,” in which Bear closes himself in his house to snuggle under his warm and fluffy red blanket, rejecting Bird’s attempts to spend time with him. Shortcuts are tempting, but they can break the narrative spell. Jarvis’s digital drawings, in beautiful colors, have an attractive handmade feel, but it’s difficult to understand why he avoids redrawing the flower (the central element in the story) and instead reuses the same image over and over again. The pleasing pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations focus on the characters’ body language and show a simple, nonthreatening natural world made of rocks, trees and clear skies.
When Panda gives Squirrel a “big bear hug,” for instance, Squirrel is moved, in more ways than one: “You’re squashing me! I won’t be much of a friend if I’m squashed.” The captivating text, ideal for reading aloud, can seem too earnest at times, but touches of humor save the day. The two misunderstand and bicker with each other, as many good friends in the real world do. Originally published in Dutch as two volumes, and translated by David Colmer, it chronicles nine mini-adventures of a panda named Panda and a squirrel named Squirrel. The characters are amiably odd-looking, and their changing facial expressions effectively reveal their personalities.Īnother animal friendship that would be unlikely in the real world but is completely believable in a storybook is presented in THE MOON IS A BALL (Gecko, 76 pp., $19.99, ages 5 to 8), written by Ed Franck and illustrated by Thé Tjong-Khing. Collier’s drawings are at the same time stylish and cartoony, with a limited palette composed primarily of bright yellow, magenta and pale blue.
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