Friends: True Stories of Extraordinary Animal Friendships

Three wonderful books in one. Pictures to delight the youngest and to teach them animal names. Large text in verse about what friendship means. And somewhat smaller 'notes' about the situation and critters in each photo.

I admit, it's not only a book that made my heart grow two sizes, but it also brought tears to my eyes to think that humankind still acts as if non-human animals are so much 'lesser' than humans.

I have no idea why I'm not giving it five stars. Maybe I should.

I absolutely loved this book for a couple of reasons. The illustrations throughout this book are adorable and tend to make the reader smile. Because these pictures show two animals that are usually never together, it pulls the reader in even closer and forces them to read more. For example, one picture is of a baby monkey hugging a pigeon. This is unusual for readers to see because it’s not every day we see a monkey doing this. I also like how next to each picture is the story of how the two animals met and became friends. I also enjoy the writing throughout this book because there are short poems about friendship at the top of each page that rhyme. To my knowledge, all of the information throughout this story is accurate because it show more is nonfiction. What’s even more interesting is that all of these pictures are real photographs of the two animals together, because there is an acknowledgement to the photographers at the back of the book. Overall, this was a really cute book with amazing stories as to how the two animals became friends. The big idea of this book is to inform the reader that any two animals can be friends and gives the story of how they met and became friends. show less

"Friends: True Stories of Extraordinary Animal Friendships" is informational story/poem about how two different animals find a special bond through friendship. The story is written as a poem and at the bottom the each page is the true story behind the animals shown in the picture. This is a terrific way to introduce poetry to young readers. There is also a common/predictable theme through out the story. Each new poem begins "A friend..." and is completed with relatable adverbs(helps, connects, plays, snuggles, etc). The vivid realistic pictures is another aspect that make this book a excellent choice for a classroom library.

“Friends” is a book that explores a variety of friendships between animals that normally do not form a bond. With the use of pictures, poems, and factual text, it shows readers a sense of belonging with any type of creature on Earth. “Friends can be different, with stripes on their face; or friends can have fingers to touch and embrace. But it doesn’t matter-not in the end-because deep where it counts, one knows a true friend” (pg’s. 25&28). This sends the message that children can form friendships with anyone, regardless of what someone looks like, or where they come from.

Does it get any sweeter than this?! Not a deep book, but a very sweet one that has me smiling tonight!

This was a really neat little book. Each page features an endearing picture of two unusual animal friends. Then there is a little history of how these unlikely pairs became friends. In some cases they are together only briefly and others last for years. It caused lots of Awww moments.

In this book, Catherine Thimmesh tells the stories of unlikely friendships made between animals. What I like about this book is that it uses real situations that have occurred between animals and the connections they have formed with one another. I think that it is a great book to use to teach students about animals but also about how friendship can be found in the most unlikely of places. For example, a tabby cat and an orangutan getting along is not something you see everyday, however they rely on each other and become very lose. This book can be used to teach children that it is okay to have differences from their friends.