How to Find a Friend

February 15, 2017
Will lonely Squirrel and Rabbit ever find each other?Squirrel and Rabbit are both newcomers to their community, which is helpfully mapped out on endpapers as a guide to the different places they visit alone. No other creatures show up except for two little slugs with arms who independently determine to help Squirrel and Rabbit meet and try unsuccessfully to direct their attention to each other on every spread. Alas, Squirrel and Rabbit are oblivious to the slugs' respective efforts ("Perhaps they don't speak Bug!" is the parting shot from the blue slug at book's end, implying a lingua franca among insects and other creepy-crawlies), and Squirrel and Rabbit consistently miss seeing each other as they go about various activities, bemoaning their loneliness and isolation. There's humor in these near-misses which allow readers, alongside the slugs, to know more than the protagonists do. In one scene, Squirrel thinks, "I wish I could just bump into someone," as nuts from the cart she pulls across a bridge bean Rabbit, who is wading below. The bright palette used in the digitally enhanced linocut illustrations on the white, open spaces of the pages conveys optimism that, eventually, all will be well. A slapstick ending that has the pair literally run into each other brings about a satisfying and funny conclusion. A picture book worth finding and befriending. (Picture book. 3-5)

COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

August 1, 2017

PreS-Gr 1-Costa tackles the topic of friendship in a debut picture book that features a lonely squirrel and rabbit. Each creature is searching for a friend after moving into the local forest, but they just can't seem to connect. Two sly worms attempt to help the pair by offering suggestions as Rabbit and Squirrel continue to narrowly miss bumping into one another. The linocut and digital media illustrations extend the text greatly with outlines of each character performing an activity while the other animal ponders. For example, Squirrel rows across the pond wondering "What if I'm the only animal in the wood?" as an outline of Rabbit is seen playing golf on the shoreline. A turn of the page reveals that Rabbit's golf ball has hit the corner of Squirrel's boat, causing a leak, as Rabbit tees off wondering "What if I'm all alone in the whole wide wood?" Young readers will find these continuing antics amusing, and will be able to predict with ease the near misses of the two animals. The two worms (one red and one blue, to match the colors of Rabbit and Squirrel) can be found on each page offering encouragements to their clueless companions. Finally, and predictably, Squirrel and Rabbit collide as they are walking and skating on the same path with a CRASH! Of course, they become immediate friends. VERDICT A fun and engaging storytime book that details the simplicity and complications of friendship.-Lisa Kropp, Lindenhurst Memorial Library, NY

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2017
Grades K-2 Squirrel moves to a new tree house and, hoping to find a friend, looks around for other animals. But where are they? She visits the playground, rows a boat, and even has a picnic, but she sees no one. Meanwhile, Rabbit moves into a new burrow. Looking for company, he sits at a cafe table, plays golf, and fills his water buckets beside a bridge. Where is everyone? Zooming along later, with Squirrel on her skateboard and Rabbit in roller skates, they bump into each other (literally) and become fast friends. The eye-catching illustrations, linocut prints with digital elements, feature strong lines and patterns as well as vibrant color combinations. Many pictures focus on either the blue squirrel or the red rabbit, while the other is clearly visible in the background, for observant kids to find; readers will enjoy telling the two characters what they're missing. In the illustrations, each animal is accompanied by a strange little critter (picture a worm with antennas and arms) that offers encouragement. Good fun for young children.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)