A Circle of Friends [Hardcover]

Giora Carmi (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

In this wordless story, a boy anonymously shares his snack with a homeless man, and inspires a cycle of good will.

IBBY 2007 Outstanding Books Catalog & Exhibition

Teaching Tools Available

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2-In this wordless story about a circle of kindness, a boy leaves the lion's share of his fresh muffin with a homeless man sleeping on a park bench. When the man wakes, he shares crumbs with two birds that feed them to a fledgling. Later, the young bird flies down from its nest, picks up a seed that the man offers from his palm, and deposits it in the window box of the boy who is later blessed with an enormous sunflower. Carmi sparingly accessorizes the line drawings with color, using gold, scarlet, or green to highlight an element on each page that will carry the kindness forward. This simple tale in the spirit of Sarah Marwil Lamstein's I Like Your Buttons (Albert Whitman, 1999) and Cindy McKinley's One Smile (Illumination Arts, 2002) makes its point without being didactic or overly sentimental.
Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA
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Review

A truly rapturous and inspiring picture book. --Midwest Book Review

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Star Bright Books (October 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932065008
• ISBN-13: 978-1932065008
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 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: #781,818 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A truly rapturous and inspiring picture book, September 12, 2003

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Circle of Friends (Hardcover)

A Circle Of Friends is a warm and caring wordless story which is "written" and illustrated by Giora Carmi. When a young boy anonymously donates his snack to a homeless man, he begins a cycle of goodwill that reverberates and expands in a great circle of kindness. A Circle Of Friends is distinctive in that it is told entirely through illustrations - which have the powerful characteristic of being in black and white with a single color highlight. A truly rapturous and inspiring picture book, A Circle Of Friends is strongly recommended for inclusion in school and community library picture book collections.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Through the Eyes of First Graders, June 11, 2009

By 

Wisconsin First Grade Teacher - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Circle of Friends (Paperback)

We liked the little bit of color that the illustrator used. We used our imaginations to read the book because there were no words. The author taught us about being kind to others. It's important to give things to people that are poor. It was like passing on a good deed.

5.0 out of 5 stars precious and beautiful, September 5, 2011

By 

Ellen D. Stern "mosaicist" (Michigan) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Circle of Friends (Paperback)

"A Circle of Friends" by Giora Carmi is a very special and precious book. The stunning illustrations tell a story that reminds me a little bit of the message behind the movie "Pay It Forward". It shows how karma travels..... "what goes around, comes around". One good deed leads others to do good deeds in a chain reaction.

Because the book consists of only illustrations, and no words, each "viewer" is free to interpret and provide their own words. It is universal.

I can hardly say enough that is great about this beautiful book except that I highly recommend it to you.