MY FRIEND

A gentle French import with winsome illustrations. The narrator (like every other creature and object readers see) is made of scraps of fabric, buttons and ribbons, a pleasing collage effect. He’s sort of sheep-shaped, but he’s not a sheep. His fabric color and texture changes every few pages, but he assures those he meets that he’s not a lion, or a dog, nor a hippopotamus. He meets another creature made like him out of a changing array of cloth, thread, snaps and buttons who wants to play. The first thing asks, “Don’t you want to know what I am?” Answers the newcomer, “I know what you are. You are my friend.” While young readers might initially be surprised at the metamorphoses these characters go through, the textures and shapes are extremely satisfying and the simple story is appealing if eccentric. (Picture book. 3-6)