BEST BEST FRIENDS

The illustrations in this wonderful preschool story look deceptively simple, but they are full of pattern, color, shape and form in the most pleasing of ways. Mary and Clare are best friends: They hug each morning when they meet at preschool and they hold hands when they go out to play. But when Mary’s birthday comes and she gets special treatment from everyone and pink cupcakes, Clare is quite put out. She announces that yellow is a much better color than “plain old pink,” and Mary, who is dressed in pink down to her little flowered underpants, shoots back with the classic little girl zinger, “You’re not nice!” They shout at each other, and go off to play in different directions, but later, Clare makes Mary a birthday picture and they make up to be “best best BEST” friends. The attitude is definitely preschool, and the author deftly captures the vocabulary and body language. Chodos-Irvine uses a variety of printmaking techniques and sunny garden colors to make this a small, perfect tale of conflict and resolution. (Picture book. 3-6)