What Are Friends For?

by Sally Grindley, Penny Dann (Illustrator)

Overview

Figgy Twosocks and Jefferson Bear, two lovable and endearing characters, explore the timeless and universal theme of friendship in a warmly illustrated tale that will melt the hearts of children and adults alike.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780753476192
Publisher:	Kingfisher
Publication date:	05/05/2020
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.77(w) x 11.16(h) x 0.41(d)
Age Range:	3 - 8 Years

About the Author

Sally Grindley lives in Cheltenham. She has been involved with children's books nearly all her working life, first as editor of the children's book club Books for Children, and for almost as long as a children's author. Sally's novel Spilled Water won a Smarties Gold Medal, as well as regional awards, such as the Lincolnshire Young People's Award.

Penny Dann has over thirty children's stories to her name, including The Secret Fairy Handbook (Orchard). For Kingfisher she has illustrated the highly successful picture books What Are Friends For?, What Will I do Without You?, and Will You Forgive Me?

Editorial Reviews

This series of truncated vignettes on friendship does not add up to a story. A gigantic honey-brown bear and a spritely little red fox are friends. "What is a friend for?" asks the fox, named Figgy Twosocks. "A friend is for playing," answers Jefferson Bear, in syntax that echoes a little too closely A Hole Is to Dig. The two play a humorous game of hide-and-seek, allowing readers to enjoy the joke that the bear is too enormous to be concealed. After another illustrative lesson, in which they discover that friends are for sharing, Figgy Twosocks gets a thorn in her paw and requires Jefferson Bear's help. When the fox plays a prank that upsets the bear, the friendship breaks down and is just as predictably restored to the tune of "A friend is forever," which is not something that can truly be counted upon, unfortunately. Dann's illustrations cheerfully depict the expressive animals and their exploits, but Grindley (Why Is the Sky Blue?, 1997, etc.) relies, this time, on sweetness over substance. (Picture book. 2-6)

Kirkus Reviews