The Perfect Friend [Hardcover]

Yelena Romanova (Author), Boris Kulikov (Illustrator)

Book Description

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

Every dog needs a best friend

 

Archie wants someone to play with – a friend who will throw a ball for him to catch. One morning his family leaves the house promising a surprise when they return. Archie is hopeful, but, remembering past surprises, he’s not overly optimistic, which is a good thing because they only bring home a baby named Max, who leads everyone to forget all about Archie. Poor Archie feels left out . . . that is, until little Max becomes the perfect friend.

Hilarious, colorful, and richly imagined pictures provide a highly original twist on a classic theme in children’s literature.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1–Archie, the family dog, has been promised a surprise. Previous surprises–a goldfish, a turtle, a rabbit–have not been suitable playmates. This time the family brings home Max, a wriggling, snuffling bundle in a cradle. Now no one, not Mother or Father nor Grandma or Grandpa, pays any attention to Archie, even when he acts out by peeing in the house. At last they notice him forlorn under a chair and, in turn, each one of them tries to cheer him up. It's not until Max, now walking, throws him a ball that Archie's dream of finding a perfect friend comes true. The fact that this book is about adjusting to a new baby is slowly developed. Readers at first will more likely fixate on the visual portrayal of Archie, who wears flowered boxers and walks upright. When sporting his overcoat and umbrella on the opening pages, he looks more like a dandy than a dog. Plus, the scene where he pees into the shoe is as visually disturbing as it is funny: Is this a dog or a boy? The depiction of the baby in his red stocking cap could be questioned as well: Is this an infant or a troll? Vibrant paintings humorously depict each scene and the bug-eyed characters with stylized precision. This wacky, rather sophisticated look at redefining familial roles may not be everyone's cup of tea but it does reflect a unique perspective.–Martha Topol, Traverse Area District Library, Traverse City, MI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. Archie, a russet-colored hound who wears clothes and walks on two legs, dreams of having a friend. His human family has promised a surprise, but he is horrified when the gift turns out to be a baby--a "wriggling, snuffling bundle" named Max. Archie fumes (and pees into shoes) when Max gets most of the attention. His family tries to cheer him up with misguided diversions--uncomfortable bike rides, absurd puppet shows--until, at last, Max grows old enough to play with Archie, and Archie realizes that Max is the friend he has always wished for. Kulikov's sometimes surreal paintings extend Romanova's smooth, descriptive text with clever, artful humor. Very young children may miss the meaning in a few images, such as a scene of shrinking silhouettes indicating Archie's dwindling sense of importance after the baby comes. But children, especially those who have faced a new baby in their midst, will easily see themselves in Archie's initial fury and grudging acceptance. A sly, imaginative departure from typical stories about an older sibling's displacement when a new baby arrives. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (August 11, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374358214
• ISBN-13: 978-0374358211
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 8.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,543,339 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WARM, FUNNY AND ENDEARING, August 16, 2005

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Perfect Friend (Hardcover)

Warm funny, endearing, smile-provoking all describe this delightful story for young readers by the husband and wife team of Romanova and Kulikov. This is their first collaboration, and we hope to see more.

Based on events in their lives "The Perfect Friend" is a story of love, and the happy surprises life has in store. Archie is a lovable pooch who lives with a man and wife. The only problem is that Archie's lonely - he so very much wanted someone to play with, someone who would throw a ball that he could catch.

When the man and wife left home this particular morning they promised they'd bring him a surprise. He wondered what it might be. Once they brought him a goldfish, which was nice but couldn't throw a ball. Another time they brought him a turtle - entirely too slow for Archie.

When the man and wife came home, Archie ran to their car. He found it was full of surprises but had no idea which might be for him. Then, of all things, he saw "a wriggling, snuffling bundle in a cradle." The baby's name is Max, and from then on things go from bad to worse.

Now that they are parents the couple spend all of their time taking care of Max and practically ignoring Archie who just keeps feeling smaller, smaller, so very insignificant. Grandma playing the piano for him doesn't cheer him up nor does Grandpa teaching him how to play chess.

However, as time passes there is a wonderful, very amazing surprise - Archie does find the most perfect friend. Youngsters will be delighted with who it is.

- Gail Cooke

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My new favorite picture book about dogs, November 25, 2005

By 

HenderHouse (Libertyville, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Perfect Friend (Hardcover)

A dog named Archie yearns for "a friend to play with, someone to throw a ball for him to catch." Archie's family provides him with a series of friends that don't quite fit the bill (a fish, a bunny). Then the latest friend comes along..."a wriggling, snuffling bundle in a cradle"! The illustrations in this book are whimsical and quirky. Archie and his extended family are loveable. A fun book to read with a child who has a new sibling.