YOU AND ME

A chance meeting that leads to a lasting friendship is lauded in rhyming text and jaunty illustrations.

Verde celebrates not just the bond between best friends, but also the somewhat abstract concept of serendipity by describing experiences that might have brought about a different result on the day she is describing. “What if I had slept in..?” or “...the weather had been stormy gray?” or “a rock in my shoe / had caused me to pause/ for a moment or two.” Simple language, small touches of humor and an engagingly earnest tone enable her to keep things sweet without descending into the overly saccharine or sentimental, but it still seems likely that her message will resonate more with adults than children. Reynolds’ artwork, created using ink, gouache, watercolor and tea (an unusual but appropriately cozy medium for an ode to friendship), brings Verde’s words down to earth and cheerfully to life. His pictures chronicle the accidental encounter and subsequent shared activities of a lanky, androgynous, anthropomorphic yellow cat and a purple feline of similar proportions. Illuminating and expanding the action, amusing tableaux offer charming details and some slyly humorous misdirection. The cats’ faces, though simply drawn, are expressive and appealing.

Perfect as a gift book exchanged between kindred spirits, this could also spark interesting conversations about the role of chance in our lives.