YOU ARE TO ME
by Rebecca Doughty & illustrated by Rebecca Doughty
A pig and a rabbit are best buddies—pig wears stripes, rabbit polka-dots—and the pig, in the simplest and warmest of terms, is trying to explain their friendship in words. As they do things together through the seasons—roller skating, eating ice cream, having a sleepover—the pig uses the events to tell the rabbit in rhymed couplets just how, “you’re crayon box / and valentine, / you’re orange juice / and clementine.” “You’re you-est you, / you’re yes-sir-ee, / you’re ABSo-BESTo-lu-tel-y!” Doughty uses matte paint and ink in uncomplicated shapes on unfussy backgrounds; the two companions don’t actually look that different (rabbit has longer ears) and both share endearing anthropomorphisms (see pig stick out a tongue while working with crayons). Gender and age are left blissfully unresolved, making this clearly aimed at the adult-giving market as well as kids. Minor, but nice. (Picture book. 4-8)