A light and breezy view of an inclusive, perfect world in which everyone can be friends.
Neal’s (Kinship, 2013, etc.) latest picture book presents an idealized view of universal friendship.
Neal’s first children’s book references the I Have a Dream Elementary School and conveys an understanding of Martin Luther King Jr.’s hope, expressed in his speech of that name, that the time would come in America when people of all backgrounds would be joined “in a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.” Neal expresses this vision through the narration of Christopher, a dog and “friend to all of mankind,” who invites readers to consider various types of friendship. Beginning with real and imaginary friends, he then covers diversity of hair and sleeping arrangements before moving on to body type, likes and dislikes, disabilities and animal friends. No matter the differences, Christopher says, all his friends “are friendly, in their own special way!” Also touched upon are friends who speak different languages or live in different types of housing; friends who use wheelchairs or are deaf, sick or blind; and those who live in a home with two parents of the same gender. The diversity of these friends’ ethnic backgrounds is further revealed in colorful digital illustrations. Christopher concludes with claims that friends are never bullies, and they should always be friendly and estimable. The final lines demonstrate the book’s overly optimistic view of reality: “It takes all types of friendships to / make the world go around. / Friends are really special people, / that are very easily found!” The fact that the narrator is a dog doesn’t seem to matter much; there’s no story, and very few of the images actually contain a dog. Similarly, despite the book’s summery tone, it offers no guidance for finding friends or tackling the challenges of friendship.
A light and breezy view of an inclusive, perfect world in which everyone can be friends.Pub Date: June 24, 2014
ISBN: 978-1500156183
Page Count: 30
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Sept. 8, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A flavorful call to action sure to spur young introverts.
In this latest slice in the Food Group series, Humble Pie learns to stand up to a busy friend who’s taking advantage of his pal’s hard work on the sidelines.
Jake the Cake and Humble Pie are good friends. Where Pie is content to toil in the background, Jake happily shines in the spotlight. Alert readers will notice that Pie’s always right there, too, getting A-pluses and skiing expertly just behind—while also doing the support work that keeps every school and social project humming. “Fact: Nobody notices pie when there’s cake nearby!” When the two friends pair up for a science project, things begin well. But when the overcommitted Jake makes excuse after excuse, showing up late or not at all, a panicked Pie realizes that they won’t finish in time. When Jake finally shows up on the night before the project’s due, Pie courageously confronts him. “And for once, I wasn’t going to sugarcoat it.” The friends talk it out and collaborate through the night for the project’s successful presentation in class the next day. John and Oswald’s winning recipe—plentiful puns and delightful visual jokes—has yielded another treat here. The narration does skew didactic as it wraps up: “There’s nothing wrong with having a tough conversation, asking for help, or making sure you’re being treated fairly.” But it’s all good fun, in service of some gentle lessons about social-emotional development.
A flavorful call to action sure to spur young introverts. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9780063469730
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Continuing to find inspiration in the work of Virginia Lee Burton, Munro Leaf and other illustrators of the past, Long (The Little Engine That Could, 2005) offers an aw-shucks friendship tale that features a small but hardworking tractor (“putt puff puttedy chuff”) with a Little Toot–style face and a big-eared young descendant of Ferdinand the bull who gets stuck in deep, gooey mud. After the big new yellow tractor, crowds of overalls-clad locals and a red fire engine all fail to pull her out, the little tractor (who had been left behind the barn to rust after the arrival of the new tractor) comes putt-puff-puttedy-chuff-ing down the hill to entice his terrified bovine buddy successfully back to dry ground. Short on internal logic but long on creamy scenes of calf and tractor either gamboling energetically with a gaggle of McCloskey-like geese through neutral-toned fields or resting peacefully in the shade of a gnarled tree (apple, not cork), the episode will certainly draw nostalgic adults. Considering the author’s track record and influences, it may find a welcome from younger audiences too. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-399-25248-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2009
SEEN & HEARD
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