Book Description
for Friends by Aiko Ikegami
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
A child who has traveled far arrives at a new school. “She was different. And alone.” Slowly she makes friends, first with animals and then with children. “They all started to play.” When another student arrives, one who is also different and alone after arriving from a faraway place, the child who was new at the start of the story is among the first to welcome him. A spare text—a single simple sentence of a few words each on every page spread—pairs with soft-edged, comforting illustrations full of warmth and unexpected humor: The second new student arrives in a spaceship. He is a round-bodied, green-skinned traveler from another planet. The little girl at the center of the story is Japanese in a picture book that can open a door to rich discussion about friendship. (Ages 4–7)
CCBC Choices 2017. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2017. Used with permission.