Customer Reviews

May I Bring a Friend?

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The allure of royalty knows no bounds in the mind of a small child. For kids, even better than seeing a king and queen in court is the idea of being friends with them. What child wouldn't want to be best buds with the country's highest rulers? "May I Bring a Friend?" brings this idea radically to life. Starring one small boy, it combines the I'm-Indispensable-To-Royal-Rulers fantasy with the I'm-Friends-With-An-Array-of-Furry-Animals fantasy. It may not sound particularly promising, but the results are rather charming in the end.

Our first shot in this book is an image of a small boy holding an envelope proudly above his head. Says the text, "The King and Queen/ Invited me/ To come to their house/ On Sunday for tea". The boy is thrilled, but asks politely if he might bring a friend along. The rulers are peachy keen with this idea, so it's a bit of a shock when they find that the boy's friend is a giraffe. Still, all goes well. Next, the King and Queen repeat their invitation, this time for breakfast. The boy once more asks if a friend would be all right, they acquiesce, and lo and behold a hippo arrives and proceeds to eat all the food in sight. The monarchs are a bit perturbed by this, but it doesn't seem to mar their friendship with the boy since they once again invite him back for a Monday stew dinner. This time the boy brings monkeys. You have the gist of the book. Sometimes the boy brings lions, other times it's the odd elephant or seal. Finally, after a final invitation, the boy says, "No, no! My friends want you, instead/ To come and visit them...". So King, Queen, and lad have tea at the City Zoo. The final shot is of everyone in a bit cage, the royals hugging the boy who is grinning with glee.

It wasn't the ending I'd expected. That's the problem with reading a lot of snarky contemporary picture books. After a while, you start anticipating twist endings, or stories with surprises at the finale. I really thought the King and Queen would leave off inviting the boy to any more food-based parties, but they never did. It's not as if they were always happy with the kid's guests either. In a singularly interesting picture the boy has just brought along a whole pack of monkeys. As the simians swing precariously on chandelier the royals sit there with looks of extreme unhappiness on their faces. Only the boy (and the aforementioned monkeys) is looking particularly pleased. Smashed dishes clutter the table. You have to wonder why the King and Queen didn't at least begin screening the boys' friends after this point. Instead, it's quite the opposite. The next invitation to the child reads, "The more friends you bring the better". Odd but true.

It's an interesting book apart from all this. Overall the book rhymes regularly, but there's always the occasional extra word or two that makes the sentences jump about awkwardly. As for the pictures, they vary from black and white, to a single bright color with black images, to pink/orange/yellow/purple/red/brown combinations of great eye-popping interest. These pictures are always silly and rarely dull. It's also a lot of fun to watch the King and Queen as they go about their daily business. My favorite picture of them shows the King holding a skein of yarn for the Queen to roll into a ball. It's sweet.

This 1965 Caldecott Award winner is a deft little number. It's not particularly original or different, but it certainly has its charms. Kids who like a wide variety of animals (and the idea of playing with them in palaces) will take to this book. It's not going to blow your pretty little mind or strike you as particularly earth-shattering but it's a good natured plucky book that has some fun with its ideas. A nice addition to one's library.

This was one of my favorite books as a child and my mother has fond memories of reading it to me. I recently rediscovered it as a book to read my own toddler and I have learned that most people have not heard of it. That's a shame. The illustrations are wonderful and the story is great fun. A little boy is invited to various meals by a doting king and queen and, contrary to all rules of etiquette, asks if he can bring a guest, who always turns out to be some more or less untidy zoo animal. The combination of royalty and wild animals makes this a perfect storm for my child. The text has wonderful rhymes, with lots of clever enjambment, and it reads quite musically. I hope more people discover this lost classic.

This children's story is about a boy who keeps getting invited to dine with a King and Queen and each time he brings an unusual guest with him (the first being a giraffe). The King and Queen are very regal and treat the boy and his guest, no matter who or what it is, with politeness. Kids will get a kick out of this story. The book is illustrated by Beni Montresor and it won the 1965 Caldecott Medal for best illustrations in a children's book.

"The King and Queen/Invited me/To come to their house/On Sunday for tea.// I told the Queen/And the Queen told the King/I had a friend/I wanted to bring.// The King told the Queen,/"My dear, my dear,/Any friend of our friend/Is welcome here."// So I brought my friend..." So begins Beatrice Schenk De Regniers' timeless classic, May I Bring A Friend? originally published in 1964. Our young narrator is invited to the palace quite often, in fact every day of the week, and has lots of interesting friends, he politely asks to bring...a giraffe to tea on Sunday, a hippo to dinner on Monday, monkeys to lunch on Tuesday, an elephant to breakfast on Wednesday, a pride of disguised lions for Halloween on Thursday, and a horn playing seal for Friday's Apple Pie Day. Finally on Saturday, the little boy and all his special friends extend an invitation to their ever-gracious hosts. "So that is why...// The King and Queen/And I and all/My friends were seen/On Saturday at half-past two/Having tea at the City Zoo." Ms De Regniers' joyous, lilting, rhyming text begs to be read aloud, and the engaging repetition of each day's new invitation allows little ones to interact and read along. Beni Montresor won a Caldecott Medal for his boldly imaginative, colorful, and detailed pen and ink illustrations, and youngsters will enjoy all the humor and silly antics of visiting zoo animals. Perfect for preschoolers, May I Bring A Friend? is still as fresh and entertaining as it was over thirty-five years ago, and is a simple little treasure to read and share now with friends and family, and future generations in the years to come.

I had this book when I was a child and loved it then. When I had children of my own, imagine my surprise when I found it again. It was a pleasure to read again and again to all 3 of my children. The antics of the various guests keep young minds interested and yearning to find out what will happen next. It is a timeless book - A joy to share with any child.

This is one of the very best children's books. The reason is repetition which children love. I'm 27 and I more or less remember every word. I don't have the book in front of me, but I can tell you that a boy, who is friends with the local king and queen, invites various animals to have tea with royal couple. After being very gracious to all of the furry guests, the king and queen wonder if it wouldn't be better to go to the animals' house for a change. They do!

Again, the key is repetition of the basic elements of the story with slight changes. (Sort of like Caps for Sale, is that still in print?) I really think this book helped teach me how to read, but I may be mistaken about that--it was a long time ago!

"May I Bring a Friend?" is a wonderful childrens book and i urge that you read it to your children. Beatrice Schenk De Regniers is a great author. This book is an award winner, it has won The Caldencott Award. This book is mainly about a little boy that get an invitation to eat with the king and queen for all seven days of the week. The king and queen tell him that he can bring friends, and he brings his animal friends. Even though they might not be on their best behavior, they love the animals anyways, for why else would the king and queen go to the zoo for tea on the seventh day.

This is my 4-year old grand daughter's favorite book. Actually, I'm tired of reading it I've read it so many times to her, she can't get enough of it. Charming book, lovely amusing story. I highly recommend it.

May 2010. My grand daughter, and her 4 year old brother are still enjoying this book. Such a cute story. The illustrations are fun.

The king and queen invited "me" to come to their house on Sunday for tea. Thus "me" draws the child into the story right away, and he/she can easily imagine that she is the main character being entertained at the palace. The boldness of the child in inviting a friend along is also reminiscent of a child's innocence regarding social graces. The child's friends shock and awe the kind and queen, but they treat them graciously and with as much respect as their beloved child friend. The illustrations themselves are very interesting and detailed, but would be most appreciated in a larger, hardcopy version (we borrowed a 7" paperback version). My one reservation is the color background. I feel that the artwork would have been better served in black and white, and that the color actually detracts, making the illustrations look busy. Granted, this book was printed in 1964, and the expectations of quality artwork were different then. Something to keep in mind when you first pick up the book, so you don't overlook it as a mediocre, one of many in a stack. I wouldn't buy this book unless my child fell in love with it, and thus far, he hasn't requested it since I read it to him the first time. I always give a book another chance though, on another day, unless there is some glaring problem with the book. Overall, I give this book 3 stars, maybe 4.

"May I bring A Friend" is a great and entertaining picture book for kids 8 and under. The story has a creative and original plot that is presented with a neat rhyme scheme. The story ahs a cheerful mood which is accented by an abundant supply of colorful, neat and creative pictures. Excellent book. I strongly recommend it.