I LIKE YOU THE BEST

Dolly the pig and Jack Rabbit are best friends. Some days they laugh and romp, on others they are quiet and contemplative. Either way, they are together. But one day while painting portraits of each other, they get into an argument. Dolly made Jack’s ears look like slimy slugs, and Jack made Dolly look like a lumpy pumpkin! They both storm away. Fury rages (“I’M MAD!”), which quickly turns to self-righteousness (“He’s not my friend”) and, finally, to sadness. Both Dolly and Jack calm themselves with deep breaths and counting to 10. The next day, friendship triumphs. Children and parents alike will relate to the quick outbursts of emotions—with, one hopes, equally quick resolutions. The slight story is made all the more winsome by Thompson’s energetic line-and-color drawings. Dolly and Jack bounce across the pages in vignettes of activity, only stopping to declare, “I like you the best!” with their noses smushed together in adoration. Sometimes, in an argument, that’s all you need to remember. (Picture book. 3-6)