The Girls

March 15, 2019
A picture-book affirmation of female friendship.Four girls--Sasha, Lottie, Alice, and Leela--become friends in childhood. They designate an apple tree their Secret Meeting Place, and here they play and form fast bonds that sustain them through the trials, tribulations, and triumphs that mark their lives. Throughout, the text offers general statements about those life events while cheery, colorful, cartoon-style illustrations provide specificity. For example, above text that reads, "They worked hard," an accompanying illustration shows Alice in a cap and gown, jumping for joy while holding a diploma. Another scene says the girls "always took pride in their friendship" and shows them with their arms about one another and raising rainbow flags aloft as they march in a queer pride parade. This pictorial reference to queerness is extended in Sasha's subplot, when she is depicted as an adult with her arm around another woman as they gaze at a little house. Ultimately, this could read like an aspirational vision of friendship for girls, but it will likely also find a readership among women who see their own bonds reflected. Sasha appears black, with brown skin and afro-puffs; Lottie and Alice both present white; and Leela is South Asian, with brown skin and straight, black hair. Although the ostensible audience is children, this book also has gift potential among adult women.A veritable gal-entine. (Picture book. 5-8, adult)

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May 17, 2019

PreS-Gr 2-Four little girls meet and become fast friends despite their differences. Lottie is adventurous, Sasha loves to help when someone hurts, Alice is a performer, and Leela always has the best ideas. Though there are spats and strains over time, they still remain the best of friends. While the theme of nurturing friendships is a positive one, the story itself lacks a central conflict. Instead, it is a look at the characters' friendships over time. The art is lovely and the palette appealing but it is difficult to discern who is who in each illustration. One standout scene shows the girls in a parade carrying rainbow flags; later, one of the characters, now a grown woman, is shown with her female spouse. VERDICT Outstanding picture books dealing with friendship abound: Mike Curato Little Elliot, Big City, Mo Willems's entire "Elephant & Piggie" series, Tad Hills's "Duck & Goose" books, and Philip and Erin Stead's A Sick Day for Amos McGee. This title is not an essential purchase for most children's collections. -Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2019
Grades 1-3 An apple tree is the connecting image that runs through the story of four girls who become lifelong friends. Fair-skinned, red-headed Lottie, the adventurer, finds the tree first. Leela, who appears to be South Asian based on her later wedding attire, declares that the tree must be their secret meeting place. Sasha, with brown skin and dark curly hair, is always first on the scene when someone is hurt. Lastly there is blonde Alice, the born performer. The girls, all quite different, share their secrets, dreams, worries, and schemes beneath the tree. The soft, warm illustrations provide a panorama of their growth, through successes, challenges, and disagreements, but always their friendship is a constant. The four find love, experience loss, and build adult accomplishments with jobs and families. They participate in a Pride parade, showing support for one of the girls and her partner. While the book goes beyond the bounds of children's direct experience, its girl power message presents a reassuring view that friendships can grow, change, and shelter, just like the group's favorite tree.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)