THE FRIENDSHIP BOOK
by Woodleigh Hubbard & illustrated by Woodleigh Hubbard
In her third book, Hubbard brings the distinctive style introduced in C Is for Curious (1990), an innovative pictorial exploration of the emotions, to a dozen aphorisms: ``A friend keeps your secrets''; ``Friends don't always agree''; etc. Again, the artist's vibrantly contrasted colors and decorative animal figures—in simple, dynamic shapes that could have been inspired by Matisse's cutouts—deftly express the subtleties of emotion, whether in a fearful blue creature clinging to its insouciant, boldly yellow companion, whose delicate stance declares understanding as well as courage; or in a comfortably rounded pair with similar shapes and dissimilar but related colors, relaxing among pleasantly curvilinear forms (``Friends just need each other''). Children—as well as adults—will be amused by the humor and the strength of the visual expression. (Picture book. 5+)