Wanted: Best Friend [Hardcover]

A. M. Monson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1997 | Age Level: 4 and up

When Cat beat Mouse at checkers--again--and then refused to play crazy eights, Mouse was out the door. Cat needed a new best friend--but when he puts an ad in the newspaper, the oddball characters who come to his door are not quite what he had in mind. Full color.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Ages 3^-7. Cat and Mouse are best friends, but Cat keeps winning at checkers (he sometimes makes up new rules), so Mouse wants to play crazy-eights. Cat refuses, so Mouse leaves in disgust. Then Cat tries out a succession of new best friends. First comes Mole, but he's a greedy slob. Then comes Otter, but he's a macho jock who scores touchdowns in the living room and throws soccer balls into the fireplace. Then comes Raccoon, who makes Cat skateboard until he lands in the garbage. Finally, Cat welcomes back his old friend Mouse with joy, and they settle cozily into their old routine, except now they do play crazy-eights. As always, Munsinger's wonderful pen-and-ink and watercolor pictures express very human feelings in animal body language. We all know these types: the slob, the bully, the klutz. Furious Mouse stalking out the door in high dudgeon evokes a part of every friendship, as does the combination of wild slapstick and affectionate order. Hazel Rochman

From Kirkus Reviews

After being repeatedly thrashed at checkers, Mouse suggests to Cat a game of crazy eights. Cat insists on checkers, and Mouse huffs off homeward. Cat places an advertisement for a new best friend in the newspaper. Mole responds, but he's a chowhound who makes a hash of Cat's checkerboard. ``You cannot be a slob and be my best friend,'' Cat states. Next comes Otter, a hyperactive sportsman who causes a commotion by hurling balls around Cat's house before he is shown the door. Last comes Raccoon, a skateboarding enthusiast, who nearly kills Cat by sending him skittering into heavy traffic on a board, then laughs when Cat crashes. ``You cannot laugh at me and be my best friend.'' Cat and Mouse reunite--for a game of crazy eights. Munsinger's watercolors add charm to the tale, whose ending will be clear to most preschoolers from the outset. If, as Monson (The Secret of Sanctuary Island, 1991, etc.) suggests, the making of friends is an exercise in mutual concessions, Cat is less than accommodating toward Mole and Otter (skip mean-spirited Raccoon). The final lesson is exclusionary: ``Best friend'' means the friend Cat can best tolerate in a field of rejects. (Picture book. 4-8) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Dial; 1st edition (February 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803714831
• ISBN-13: 978-0803714830
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,725,676 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:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book for anybody with a best friend, July 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Wanted: Best Friend (Hardcover)

I bought this book for my 5 year old son. It was a fun book and had several good messages. 1. Sometimes you don't realize what a great a friend someone is. 2. Best friends don't have to like the exact same things. 3. Making compromises for a good friend can be fun. I showed this book to my best friend, and she loved it too. Great book for young kids and best friends!