A 1996 Caldecott honor book, this is a dark tale set in the island of Martinique. Two friends bonded together and inseparable, Clement and Hippolyte are friends for life. When Clement falls madly in love with a princess when he sees her image. Driven to meet her and convince her to marry him, Filled with images of zombies, ghosts and based on folklore and told in many various renditions, in this tale the princess accepts Clement's proposal of marriage.

Her Uncle Monsieur Zabocat is a wizard. Understanding the bond of the two friends, the uncle lures Clement's friend Hippolyte in a trap forcing him to choose between his own safety and that of his friend. Turned to stone, Hippolyte made this sacrifice for his beloved friend.

In the end, he is freed from the curse because of his love of his friend.

While the illustrations are unique, I didn't like the story line. There were too many twists and turns and much darkness. ( )

The writing is a little wooden and some pages are too text heavy, but this is a pretty interesting adaptation of macabre folklore from the island of Martinique. Zombies and curses and ghosts, oh my. ( )

The Faithful Friend was a great book. It kept me interested in it the entire time. This book was very suspenseful and constantly made me want to know what was going to happen next. I like how Hippolyte was careful and watched out for Clement and Pauline. This book is an easy read. Some of the pages may be a little confusing, however if you carefully read through it and pay attention, it is a very good book! ( )

l am captivated by Pinkney's impressive scratchboard-and-oil artwork, and felt it provided a beautiful contrast between the light and dark elements of the pictures and the contrast in the story. I've heard similar tales to this one, likely from before it made its way to the West Indies, so I enjoyed this version very much. Especially alongside the illustrations. The supernatural flavor of the story is also appealing to me, and would have as a younger child as well. It is a little too long for a story time, but perhaps might be helpful with a curriculum on fairy tales/ folklore and tales around the world. ( )

An Island version of the classic tale of a friend who prevents his best friend and fiancee from being killed by an evil uncle. Beautifully told and illustrated,the Caribbean landscape makes it all the more bewitching. ( )