Lucy Menzies (1882–1954)

Awww, this was so sweet! (ᵔᴥᵔ)

Mae, who loves talking about space, has heard of a new boy joining her school today. She is determined to be friends with him. Joe, who has moved into town with his dad, is apprehensive about his new school as it always weird to find new friends. How will Mae and Joe meet? Will they become friends? (Yeah, you know the answer to that!)

The story by itself is lovely. Making new friends in a new school is never easy and the book highlights how important it is show more to take the first step in making a friend. The writing captures Joe’s insecurities and Mae’s determination so well. But there are two things that made the book stand out to me:
1. When I tell you that there’s a new kid in town and another kid wants to welcome him, I am sure most of you would picture the welcoming kid as white and the new kid either as white or coloured. So I loved to see that Mae was a Muslim (her mom wears a hijab) while Joe was a white child. Amazing decision to have this reversal of typical representation!
2. This is in the “One Book, Two Stories” format. Mae’s story comes on the left hand side while Joe’s appears on the right hand side pages. You can read the stories one at a time or both together. The stories complement each other perfectly without being distracting.

The illustrations are absolutely adorable and inclusive. The vocabulary level is apt for the target age group of 3-7 years.

Heartily recommended to homes, schools and libraries. You can’t miss out on this sweet little picture book.

4.5 stars.

My thanks to Quarto Publishing Group and NetGalley for the DRC of “A New Friend”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

For those who find the idea of “One Book, Two Stories” appealing, please also check out “We'll Be Together Again” by the same author and also published by Quarto. Both books are equally amazing.

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Such a cute book this one turned out to be! You can read it as two separate stories or in a combined narrative. That is the biggest USP of the book, though by no means is it the only good point of this gem.

The pages on the left show the story of little Belle, who lives with her parents in the city. She adores her grandpa Jack and misses him terribly. But he can’t come to meet her for some unspecified reason. When he sends her a teddy bear as a gift to remember him by, she carries it around show more everywhere. But when will they meet?

The pages on the right show the story of Grandpa Jack, who lives alone in the mountains. He loves his cute little granddaughter and is waiting patiently for the day when he can meet her again. Will his wish come true soon?

I simply loved the dual story setup. I read both the tales simultaneously, and that didn’t hinder my comprehension in any way. It was fun to see both the storylines unfolding simultaneously. At the same time, I can see how reading only Belle’s narrative or Jack’s narrative turn by turn can add to the anticipation.

I liked how the reason for Grandpa Jack’s inability to travel wasn’t explained outright. This provides the story with a blank page and parents/guardians reading this story to youngsters can fill in any appropriate reason they feel like to explain the issue. It could be a covid-related lockdown, it could be ill-health, it could be some travel-related issues… But the book helps little ones receive hope that there’s always light at the end of the tunnel, that all problems eventually come to an end, and that we must make the best of what we have in the meantime.

The vocabulary level is suitable for early readers. The book is mainly in prose and only Grandpa Jack’s letters to Belle and her letters to him are in rhyming format. This works wonderfully as it is like getting the best of both worlds. (I always love kiddie books that don’t force rhymes into their text.)

The illustrations are charming and take the story to an even greater level. (Grandpa Jack’s cat steals the show in the sketches!)

This would be a beautiful story for families to read together as it reinforces so many lovely values such as regular communication, respect for elders, parental and grandparental bonding and positive thinking. Heartily recommended.

My thanks to Quarto Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC of “We'll Be Together Again”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

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Whether it's because of finances, unspecified medical treatment, or contagion Belle (and her parents) are separated by distance from her Grandpa. The book shows that each of them is unhappy with the circumstance as they had spent good times together not so very long ago. The format is lovingly illustrated with the left page is about Belle, and the right page devoted to Grandpa. There is evidence of video calling but not the fun of a Zoom (this one has made a LOT of difference for me and my show more out-of-staters). The ending says it all. I loved it!
I requested and received a free temporary ebook from Quarto Publishing Group – Frances Lincoln Children's Books via NetGalley. Thank you!ce for me and my out-of-staters). The ending says it all. I loved it! show less

Nicely underplayed side-by-side exploration of Mae (who can't wait to meet the new kid) and Joe (who IS the new kid). Each is a bit afraid of rejection, but it seems to work its way out in the end.
Maddy Vian fills the pages with simple, colorful illustrations which add more meaning to this book.
The ending says it all. I loved it!
I requested and received a free temporary ebook from Quarto Publishing Group – Frances Lincoln Children's Books via NetGalley. Thank you!