Help!: A Story of Friendship [Hardcover]

Holly Keller (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 21, 2007 | Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Mouse, Hedgehog, Rabbit, Squirrel, and Snake are friends. But one day Mouse hears from Skunk (who heard it from Fox) that snakes are dangerous, especially to mice.

Oh, dear!

Can friendship survive gossip? Should friends stick together, no matter what? And what do friends do when a friend is in trouble? Or when a friend has hurt feelings?

Do you know the answers? Mouse and Snake need your help!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As this straightforward, genial tale begins, Hedgehog discovers Mouse covering himself with leaves, trying to hide from their friend Snake. Why? Fox told Skunk and Skunk told me that snakes are very dangerous to mice, Mouse explains. Although Hedgehog dismisses the news as silly gossip, Mouse continues to worry and, distracted, stumbles into a deep, narrow hole. For various reasons, Squirrel, Rabbit and Hedgehog cannot help their fallen friend, but trusty Snake devises a way to retrieve Mouse without scaring him. Although the story holds no surprises, the banter feels fresh. Keller's (Farfallina & Marcel) eye-catching, highly textured illustrations, which she identifies as collographs, or printed collages, balance toy-like depictions of the characters with almost lifelike renderings of the variegated green vegetation. Encircling or framing the text, poking through white space or suddenly changing the page orientation from horizontal to vertical, the art gives this book an irresistibly insouciant spirit. Ages 3-8.
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From School Library Journal

Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 3—Because Mouse has heard that snakes are dangerous, he hides from his friend Snake. As he looks around nervously, he falls into a hole and hurts his foot, and none of his other friends can help him. Squirrel is afraid of the dark, the hole is too narrow for Rabbit to hop out of, and Hedgehog is too prickly to carry him. Only Snake can help him, and he devises a way to rescue his friend without frightening him. When he sees who saved him, Mouse is ashamed and tries to make amends. This story has the simplicity of a fable. The appealing art is done in collographs, which are printed collages, and watercolors. By showing Mouse's rescue vertically, the hole seems very deep and Mouse's peril very real. Snake's body, created from a mesh onion bag, looks menacing, but Snake is a true friend. Leafy landscapes are used sparingly, leaving the animals to hover against the white background in some illustrations. Their kind faces make this an engaging tale and a top-notch addition.—Mary Jean Smith, Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books (August 21, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061239135
• ISBN-13: 978-0061239137
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 10.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #133,996 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars kids loved it!, August 25, 2008

By 

Tania Grosz Blueh (Santiago, Chile) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Help!: A Story of Friendship (Hardcover)

I'm a second grade teacher and luckily I found this book to talk about trust, gossiping and friendship with my children. amazing effect! They even wanted to create a role play based on the book!! We have analyzed it and take it to our personal situations. Great choice. Kids read it once and again. Five stars!!!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A read-aloud favorite!, February 5, 2009

By 

Leesa M. Beck (Santa Barbara, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Help!: A Story of Friendship (Hardcover)

My sister gave this book to my four-year-old daughter last year, and it has quickly become one of our favorites. It's sweet, simple, and endearing, and has a wonderful message. Plus, there is a lot of dialog between the animal characters, which invites the reader to use silly voices, and makes it a fun read-aloud. My daughter shared it with her preschool class one day, and the teacher said it's become a class favorite as well.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can friendships survive gossip?, November 4, 2007

By 

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

This review is from: Help!: A Story of Friendship (Hardcover)

Holly Keller's HELP: A STORY OF FRIENDSHIP tells of Mouse and his very different friends who get along well - until Mouse hears from a mutual friend that his snake friend may be dangerous. Can friendships survive gossip? When Mouse is indeed endangered, danger - and rescue - come from unexpected places in this gentle story.