A Warm Friendship

by Ellen DeLange, Jacqueline Molnár (Illustrator)

Overview

“With lovely illustrations and sweet forest animals, A WARM FRIENDSHIP celebrates love and giving with a seasonal friendship of Squirrel and Snowman. Recommend for elementary-aged readers who are experiencing change and loss of friendships, such as moving or switching schools/classes, as this can start great discussions.” - YA and Kids Books Central

“Such a sweet story filled with compassion and love. Letting go of friends can be hard for all of us, especially when we're young. Through beautifully illustrated pictures, A Warm Friendship shows children how to sympathize with other's hardships and the positive results that come from it. It also illustrates how to let go of those we lose in life, but how to remember them fondly afterward.” – Houghton Memorial Library

Squirrel and Snowman are the best of friends. Will their friendship last forever?

A warm story about making friends and letting them go. For friends ages 5 years and up.

• Guided Reading Level K

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781605375038
Publisher:	Clavis
Publication date:	10/01/2019
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	7.90(w) x 11.20(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	5 - 11 Years

About the Author

Ellen DeLange has been fascinated by picture books ever since she was a child growing up in the Netherlands. In the attic of her home she assembled a small library and shared her collection with friends and family. As an adult she started traveling and expanded her library with picture books from all over the world. Ellen also enjoyed inventing her own stories and was encouraged by her daughter to write her first picture book, A Story with a Tale. Ellen has a doctorate in medical sciences, and currently lives in Canada, where she loves to walk in the woods with her Jack Russell terriers, drink lots of tea after a busy day, and sail on the ocean to clear her mind. A Warm Friendship is her fourth book.

Jacqueline Molnár was born in Budapest and studied animation and graphic arts at universities and academies in Spain and the Netherlands. She has been working as a freelance children’s book illustrator for twenty years and has won several awards in Hungary and Spain. Jacqueline is fascinated by the diversity of colors, plants, animals, and humans in the world. She hopes that children’s books will contribute to making our world more peaceful and welcoming. Currently, she lives in Barcelona.

Editorial Reviews

"This heartwarming story deals with friendship, empathy, caring, nurturing and loss. The detailed illustrations are sweet with rich vibrant colors that enrich the text." - Storywraps

“With lovely illustrations and sweet forest animals, A WARM FRIENDSHIP celebrates love and giving with a seasonal friendship of Squirrel and Snowman. Recommend for elementary-aged readers who are experiencing change and loss of friendships, such as moving or switching schools/classes, as this can start great discussions.” - YA and Kids Books Central

“This bright, warm tale with make kids feel warm and cozy. The wonderful quilt pattern graphics will make kids feel the warmth while dealing with emotional acceptance. When squirrel is sad but then comforted by his friend it is a great lesson on empathy.” – Anne Hart (bookseller)

“Such a sweet story filled with compassion and love. Letting go of friends can be hard for all of us, especially when we're young. Through beautifully illustrated pictures, A Warm Friendship shows children how to sympathize with other's hardships and the positive results that come from it. It also illustrates how to let go of those we lose in life, but how to remember them fondly afterwards.” – Brenda (Houghton Memorial Library)

From the Publisher

2019-08-12
A squirrel and a snowman cherish their friendship and hope it will last forever in this Belgian/Dutch import.

When Squirrel sees a shivering, sobbing snowman alone in the cold, she gathers scarves and blankets with the other forest animals to keep him warm. Her act of kindness begins a friendship full of fun that inspires the whole forest to join their play. However, the snow starts melting as the "days fly by," and Squirrel's best friend disappears, too. All the forest animals experience the loss. Collagelike illustrations cover every spread with whimsical, wintry scenes, leaving no white space apart from the snow. DeLange foreshadows the snowman's inevitable demise with warmer weather, so his melting arrives naturally, but the resolution afterward is abrupt and offers hollow closure. Owl's words of comfort (the concluding lines of the book) dismiss Squirrel's feelings about the loss of her best friend with the platitude "Don't be sad": Snowman lives on in the flowers, leaves, and hearts of his friends. Bright spring colors in the background correspond with this tone of forced positivity. The story introduces no twists or surprises to the "melting snowman" trope. While the celebration of friendship and kindness is sweet, the treatment of Squirrel's grief gives the story's overall message an insensitive ring.

An invalidating and tactless lesson about coping with the sudden loss of a friend. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews