THE BUDDY SYSTEM

“Buddies stick together…no matter what.” So what happens when you’re stuck with your buddy?

It’s class trip day, and you know what that means! Time for everyone to get paired up as part of the Buddy System! Forced into close proximity with a kazoo-bearing, pale-skinned, blond-haired classmate who has never even been to the museum before, a brown-haired, tan-skinned, art-loving child (who has visited the institution a whopping 37 times) is resigned to a less than fun experience. When the class arrives, they meet a museum worker who resembles nothing so much as an artsy Viola Swamp, with a personality to match. During a group discussion, she rudely dismisses the brown-haired child’s attempts to participate (“Of course, children don’t know anything about art”). So the blond-haired youngster—aware that “sticking with your Buddy also means sticking UP for your Buddy”—decides to prank the museum worker by starting some kazoo-related chaos. The slow, burgeoning appreciation between the two kids, who forge a surprising connection by book’s end despite their disparate interests, imbues this reluctant friendship tale with sweetness. Wedelich’s cheery watercolors depict the two children capering through exhibits with an artful simplicity. The tale comes to a screeching halt, with both the kazoo-laden children winding up unapologetically outside the principal’s office. Despite the abrupt conclusion, however, the leadup is rewarding, and the good-natured storytelling prevails.

Two wildly different youngsters unite against artsy prejudice in this peppy tale of unexpected friendship.