Friends (mostly)

This ode to the rocky road of friendship boasts one narrative innovation: a he said/she said structure, seldom seen in picture books. The approach is rare for a reason it's easy to confuse young readers and Joosse gets through it with mixed results. Friends Ruby and Henry are easy to identify with: they get each other good birthday gifts, they play circus, they pretend to be pirates . . . but sometimes they are unfriends, too, splashing water on beach towels and tattling secrets. Narrating duties are alternated, and occasionally this works wonders especially during a nice dual illustration of the two of them in their respective beds wondering about their friendship: What if Ruby finds another best friend? Nothing would be funny. Nothing would be regular. Milian's skewed perspectives and bright colors keep things peppy, though Joosse's text takes too many turns, sometimes rhyming, sometimes not, breaking out into a couple of italicized stanzas for no real purpose. But if you have a kid feud you need to quell, this may be just the thing.--Kraus, Daniel Copyright 2010 Booklist

Friendship does not have to be a 24/7 lovefest: that's the important lesson behind this sometimes preachy and visually unremarkable book. With the exception of some singsong odes to each other, most of the text takes the form of alternating monologues by BFFs Henry and Ruby ("Usually we're friends, but sometimes we're unfriends"), with each child alternatively singing joys of collaboration ("In circus, I'm the ringmaster and Ruby's the lion tamer), kvetching ("He told my secret... to a boy!" grouses Ruby after she shares her crush on a classmate with him), and worrying about the constancy of affections ("What if Ruby finds another best friend?"). Unfortunately, Joosse's (Roawr!) text relies a bit too heavily on the "kids say the darnedest things" mentality ("Yesterday, I had gruffly thoughts") and Milian, making his debut, contributes vignettes that show a wide range of emotions and activities, but don't quite escape the safe, frisky feeling of a well-meaning textbook. While the necessary ups and downs of friendship will be recognizable to readers, neither text nor art truly evokes the depth of emotions at play. Ages 4-8. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

K-Gr 3-This title provides an excellent springboard for conversations about friendship. Ruby and Henry are best friends-most of the time. Each one knows exactly what the other wants for birthdays. They easily fall into balance and choose complementary roles when playing pirates. They also know how to push each other's buttons, by sharing secrets when they know they shouldn't. Ruby is jealous when Henry swims well and she sinks in the pool. Despite all of this, they know their young lives wouldn't be the same without the other. When they are angry or apart, they miss all the wonderful character traits the other brings to the relationship. Ruby is a leader, always willing to try new things. Henry is the sturdy, reliable one and admires how she makes everything fun. Joosse uses some of the text in a dialogue format, the characters responding as if they were being interviewed, providing this picture book with a pre-chapter-book feel. Sections are loosely separated by a rhyme. Lively watercolor illustrations express the children's moods and provide vibrancy to the theme. Teachers and librarians will enjoy sharing this title with groups, and children can read it independently.-Anne Beier, Hendrick Hudson Free Library, Montrose, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Best pals Ruby and Henry take turns explaining what good friends they are, after which they explain why they're mad at each other and, finally, how they forgive each other. The kids' stream-of-consciousness narration is difficult to follow, and the voices, which occasionally burst into verse, don't sound authentically childlike. Jaunty watercolors against white backgrounds illustrate the tale. (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Bestselling picture-book author Joosse teams up with a novice illustrator for this depiction of friendship between a little boy and girl. Less a story than an episodic presentation of the ups and downs of Henry and Ruby's days together, successive pages show them first enjoying each other's company and then squabbling when their differing personalities clash or when they feel insecure in their bond. "Usually we're friends, but sometimes we're unfriends. It all depends," read the opening pages. Throughout the book, Milian captures the children's exuberant play in watercolors embellished with line that at times include background detail and at other times use white space to highlight action in the scenes. The lack of a full story arc might leave some kids unsatisfiedreaders meet the characters and can believe in their affection for one another, but the text doesn't really achieve much more than this. Perhaps other children will recognize themselves in Henry and Ruby and feel this is enough. A (mostly) good picture book. (Picture book. 4-8)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

This ode to the rocky road of friendship boasts one narrative innovation: a he said/she said structure, seldom seen in picture books. The approach is rare for a reason—it's easy to confuse young readers—and Joosse gets through it with mixed results. Friends Ruby and Henry are easy to identify with: they get each other good birthday gifts, they play circus, they pretend to be pirates . . . but sometimes they are "unfriends," too, splashing water on beach towels and tattling secrets. Narrating duties are alternated, and occasionally this works wonders—especially during a nice dual illustration of the two of them in their respective beds wondering about their friendship: "What if Ruby finds another best friend? Nothing would be funny. Nothing would be regular." Milian's skewed perspectives and bright colors keep things peppy, though Joosse's text takes too many turns, sometimes rhyming, sometimes not, breaking out into a couple of italicized stanzas for no real purpose. But if you have a kid feud you need to quell, this may be just the thing. Copyright 2010 Booklist Reviews.

Friendship does not have to be a 24/7 lovefest: that's the important lesson behind this sometimes preachy and visually unremarkable book. With the exception of some singsong odes to each other, most of the text takes the form of alternating monologues by BFFs Henry and Ruby ("Usually we're friends, but sometimes we're unfriends"), with each child alternatively singing joys of collaboration ("In circus, I'm the ringmaster and Ruby's the lion tamer), kvetching ("He told my secret... to a boy!" grouses Ruby after she shares her crush on a classmate with him), and worrying about the constancy of affections ("What if Ruby finds another best friend?"). Unfortunately, Joosse's (Roawr!) text relies a bit too heavily on the "kids say the darnedest things" mentality ("Yesterday, I had gruffly thoughts") and Milian, making his debut, contributes vignettes that show a wide range of emotions and activities, but don't quite escape the safe, frisky feeling of a well-meaning textbook. While the necessary ups and downs of friendship will be recognizable to readers, neither text nor art truly evokes the depth of emotions at play. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)

K-Gr 3—This title provides an excellent springboard for conversations about friendship. Ruby and Henry are best friends—most of the time. Each one knows exactly what the other wants for birthdays. They easily fall into balance and choose complementary roles when playing pirates. They also know how to push each other's buttons, by sharing secrets when they know they shouldn't. Ruby is jealous when Henry swims well and she sinks in the pool. Despite all of this, they know their young lives wouldn't be the same without the other. When they are angry or apart, they miss all the wonderful character traits the other brings to the relationship. Ruby is a leader, always willing to try new things. Henry is the sturdy, reliable one and admires how she makes everything fun. Joosse uses some of the text in a dialogue format, the characters responding as if they were being interviewed, providing this picture book with a pre-chapter-book feel. Sections are loosely separated by a rhyme. Lively watercolor illustrations express the children's moods and provide vibrancy to the theme. Teachers and librarians will enjoy sharing this title with groups, and children can read it independently.—Anne Beier, Hendrick Hudson Free Library, Montrose, NY