Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. ( )

This is a great story to teach children about change and about what our elders have to offer us. Harry and Walter live next door and are best friends. Harry is 4 1/2, Walter is 94. They do all sorts of things together. Walter encourages Harry, teaches him things like making oragami birds and drawing and spends a lot of time with him. When Harry's family moves he is devastated. Even though his yard is bigger, he has a garden and even a tree house, he misses Walter so much. When Walter shows up one day, he finds out he lives in an apartment down the street. Walter reiterates that everything changes but that does not mean it is a bad thing. I love the illustrations in this book. Walter looks quite spry for a 94 year old, but he and Harry look so happy together.

I would recommend this book for school, classroom and family libraries. This is a great message for all children.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

A magical book about an intergenerational friendship. Harry and Walter is beautiful and filled with nostalgia and melancholy. It reminds me of my grandfather playing with me as a child, and some of the lovely neighbours I had growing up. Poignant and wonderful, both in with the illustrations and the writing. ( )

What an absolutely sweet story. I'm going to start by addressing the elephant in the room, since I know eventually it's bound to come up: As described, this story features a best-friendship between a young child and an elderly gentleman. No, there is no indication of "predatory" or "inappropriate" behavior... at all... whatsoever. And this is coming from a Criminal Minds/Law and Order SVU addict who is paranoid about creeps. There is nothing untoward about the relationship presented in this book; given that the two protagonists spend all their depicted time together playing outside in broad daylight, any reasonably intelligent reader will surmise that the elderly gentleman also has been vetted by the boy's parents. There are no warning signs of doom - implicit or otherwise - present in this story, so I really hope the pearl-clutchers leave this lovely work alone.

That being said, I also really enjoy that Walter and Harry are of different skin colors, yet it is never mentioned or emphasized in the story. They are just two people existing in harmony with their ethnic backgrounds not being of any relevance. Highlighting ethnic differences is definitely important in children's literature to ensure proper sensitivity is taught, but it's just as important for various skin colors to be depicted "nonchalantly" so that light-skinned is not the prevailing "default" of children's literature in the U.S. There shouldn't be a default.

Walter and Harry are also both very positive influences on each other. Harry obviously encourages Walter to be active and use his imagination, while Walter subtly teaches Harry correct speech patterns and has no qualms about drawing personal boundaries with what he's comfortable doing with his age's physical limitations. I received a digital copy of this book via NetGalley to review, but I definitely intend on adding a physical copy of this one to my kiddos' home library and encourage you to do the same. ( )

old man and young boy are friends; things change ( )