Do You Want to Be My Friend? (Paperback)

by Eric Carle (Author, Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Mice, a rottweiler, an arachnid and a few other assorted critters make sturdy reappearances in five board book versions of picture books. In Ellen Stoll Walsh's Mouse Paint, "three white mice on a white piece of paper" enjoy a colorful romp, while in Walsh's Mouse Count a similar gaggle narrowly escapes being served for dinner (Harcourt/Red Wagon, $6 each, 28p, ages 1-3 ISBN 0-15-200265-0; -200266-9 Sept.). Yet another mouse searches the animal kingdom for companionship-and finds an unexpected respondent-in Eric Carle's Do You Want to Be My Friend? (HarperFestival, $6.95, 32p, ages 2-6, ISBN 0-694-00709-9 Sept.). The rewards of industriousness are celebrated in a second Carle title, The Very Busy Spider; its embossed web brings a tactile dimension to his familiar collage artwork (Philomel, $9.95, 26p, ages 2-up ISBN 0-399-22919-1 Aug.). Finally, the canine in question is Alexandra Day's beloved Carl, who takes charge of a crew of toddlers in Carl Goes to Day Care (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $5.95, ages 1-3 ISBN 0-374-31145-5 Sept.).
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Board book edition.

Review
"Each page of this ingenious, all but wordless picture book affords surprise, suspense, and repeated pleasure for the viewer." -- --ALA Booklist

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Paperback: 40 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (March 1, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064431274
• ISBN-13: 978-0064431279
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.8 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #328,316 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not a book about friendship or tolerance. , September 7, 2004

By	Kidsreader "Mudge" (Media, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Do You Want to Be My Friend? Board Book (Board book)

Agree w/ a prior reviewer - this book was VERY disappointing. I was horrified to hear it read, for the first time, by a 'teacher' (who obligingly filled in the dialogue for the non-mouse animals, to say to the mouse: "No I don't want to be your friend. . . your too little (or whatever)."
I think it can be read w/ a more positive spin, e.g., "I'd love to be your friend, but I can't play right now. . . " But the illustrations really convey a negative message to kids, and on its face is about being friends w/ your own kind, since it's only the mouse at the end who says "Yes." Not what I want to teach to my children. This book apparently was written in the 70's. It's way out of date, and I wouldn't buy it. Other Carle books have the same type of animal illustrations, so it's nothing special in that regard either.

36 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Is it just me....?, July 23, 2004

By	trumpetguy - See all my reviews

This review is from: Do You Want to Be My Friend? (Hardcover)

or was anyone else confused by this book? Now don't get me wrong I don't expect War and Peace in a children's book, but a little more dialogue would have been nice. As it is, there are 2 possible conclusions I can draw from this book:

1. The mouse is asking each animal to be his friend and they are all saying 'No', which makes them all very mean and not worth talking about or,
2. The mouse is only asking the other mouse at the end of the book, ignoring all the other animals completely.

Either way, here is the message I walk away with: Mice should only be friends with other mice (people should only be friends with their own kind). Is this what we want to teach our children?

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Friendly Book for Young Minds!, May 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Do You Want to Be My Friend? Board Book (Board book)

As always, Eric Carle's books are well illustrated. This book presents illustrations that draw in any young reader to the adventure. The text is simple and understandable to the young mind. The story line serves as a useful tool to discuss issues of "same and different" with your child. However, it is not of the same caliber as Carle's other books such as the Hungry Caterpillar and Brown Bear, Brown Bear...

I recommend this book as part of any child's library, but if your finances are limited, purchase the other two books mentioned.