Can We Be Friends?: Unexpected Animal Friendships from around the World – A Charming Rhyming Picture Book About True-Life Pairs Teaching Kindness for($14.39Value)

Description

With charming, colorful illustrations, this heartwarming picture book in rhyming text asks an age-old question—can we be friends?  Take a journey exploring five unexpected animal friendships! This adorable picture book, based on real-life stories, showcases popular duos like Mzee the tortoise and Owen the hippo and Koko the gorilla and her kittens, as well as lesser-known ones like Kumbali the cheetah and Kago the dog. Includes backmatter.  A list of the unlikely animal friendships from around the world and introduced to young animal fans in Can We Be Friends?: 1.       Owen the hippo and Mzee the tortoise (Kenya) 2.       Kumbali the cheetah and Kago the dog (Virginia, USA) 3.       Themba the elephant and Albert the sheep (South Africa) 4.       Koko the gorilla and kittens (California, USA) 5.       Ben the dog and Duggie the wild dolphin (Ireland) This sweet picture book supports children as they learn about empathy and kindness. PreS-Gr 3—Author-illustrator Sirotich's picture book is told in rhyming couplets and features five pairs of animals that enjoy spending time together. A short poem introduces an animal friendship and is followed by a brief explanation of how they became playmates. There are well-known pairs: Owen, a hippo calf, and his tortoise companion Mzee, as well as Koko the gorilla and her kittens. This title can serve as a guessing game for very young children; they can gather clues from the illustrations and the short prose descriptions to formulate their conclusion. For example, "My shell is my house. I'm a hundred or more! I like the calm, quiet hush of the forest floor" is the description of Mzee the tortoise. The illustrations, rendered in ink and digital color, depict appealing cartoon images of the smiling animals. The final narrative page features a tan-skinned girl with curly pigtails. A brief glossary defines words that could be new to young readers, such as forage, runt, and sanctuary. A source list and a "Read More About It!" section provide the opportunity for further research on the topic. VERDICT This informational title and its pleasant format will engage youngsters.—Maryann H. Owen, Oak Creek P.L., WI “‘Can you be friends with somebody who is…not at all like you?’ This cheerful account of surprising animal friendships assures readers and listeners that they can… The text is…appropriate for fledgling readers to read with an adult or on their own. Some of these stories may be familiar; others, not so widely publicized.” - Kirkus Reviews Erica Sirotich likes to draw, write, and make all sorts of friends. She has loved animals, and true stories about the lives of animals, since she was a little girl. Her first picture book, Found Dogs , was about shelter dogs. Can We Be Friends? collects her favorite animal stories from around the world. She is also the illustrator of the multilingual board book series, Let's Say. Erica lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, with her dog and cat friends and her husband, Mike. Visit her at www.ericasirotich.com.