Best Best Friends [Hardcover]

Margaret Chodos-Irvine (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Clare and Mary do everything together. After all, they're best best friends. But on Mary's birthday, she gets a party, a shiny crown, and lots of attention--and Clare gets jealous. The best best friends get into a big, big fight. Only after Clare comes up with a way to make peace do the girls realize that between true friends, love triumphs over jealousy every time (even when it comes to crowns and cupcakes).

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1–Mary and Clare spend their days at preschool together. They hug when they meet, hold hands while going out to the playground, and sit next to one another at storytime. All goes smoothly until the day of Mary's birthday, when she gets special privileges and much attention from the teacher and other students. Clare grows resentful and starts an argument, which ends with both girls angrily yelling, YOU ARE NOT MY FRIEND! They each play with other children and have time to cool off. When naptime is over, Clare presents her friend with a hand-drawn picture and wishes her a Happy birthday. Mary graciously accepts the gift, an unspoken apology, and the two are friends once again. No adult guides them toward reconciliation; these children simply figure out for themselves what is important. Various printmaking techniques are used in the artwork to create bold, flat shapes, with enough white space to allow the colors to pop off the pages. The illustrations, in a warm palette, give a retro feel to the story but the multicultural classroom takes the tale to the present. This is a story of true friendship that is stronger than envy or jealousy.–Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* PreS-K. In spot-on words and crisp, gaily patterned prints, the illustrator of the Caldecott Honor Book Ella Sarah Gets Dressed (2004) captures the unselfconscious affection and quicksilver shifts in mood that characterize preschool friendships. Classmates Clare and Mary hug hello, sit together at storytime, and hold hands when they go outside to play. But when Mary's birthday merits queen-for-a-day treatment, Clare vents her jealousy by informing her pink-clad friend that "yellow is prettier." The argument explodes in double-page spreads that zoom close to the girls' furious profiles, culminating in a bitter outburst: "YOU ARE NOT MY FRIEND!" After time apart, a nap, and a birthday card lovingly crayoned in both girls' favorite colors, the children reestablish their "best best BEST" bond. Like Molly Bang's When Sophie Gets Angry--Really, Really Angry (1999), this shows children working through conflict without adult intervention, and the message is further buoyed by a cozy classroom backdrop that will prompt chatter about kids' own preschool routines. A perfect choice for supporting the socialization aims of the earliest years of school, when instincts about generosity, empathy, and loyalty begin to balance the egocentric impulses of babyhood. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; 1 edition (May 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152056947
• ISBN-13: 978-0152056940
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 9.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #511,269 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect book for preschoolers, March 26, 2010

By 

C. Schmidt - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Best Best Friends (Hardcover)

I bought this book for my daughters Ella and Sarah because we enjoyed the authors other book, Ella Sarah get's dressed. Perfect story about true feelings young children experience. Great books to give as birthday presents.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Book about Friendship and Envy, July 14, 2008

By 

Tinkster "Bell" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Best Best Friends (Hardcover)

This is a great book for young preschoolers who are just learning to understand their feelings. It is very simple and straightforward and shows children that everyone feels jealous sometimes but a friend is a precious commodity.

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Book, December 11, 2011

By 

Mary K. Burns "Krista" (philadelphia suburbs) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Best Best Friends (Hardcover)

My 3 year old loves this book (and also Ella Sarah by the same author). It's a very simple book but cute and not annoying to read over and over again like some kid books (coughcoughpinkalicious)