Jerome By Heart, written by Thomas Scotto and illustreated by Olivier Tallec. Translated from the French by Claudia Zoe Bedrick and Karin Snelson. Enchanted Lion Books, Publishers Group Canada. 2018. $22.99 ages 4 and up

"My dad thinks it's
a "pity" that Jerome
doesn't play soccer.
But just because
Jerome doesn't play
rough doesn't mean
he's not strong.
He is strong."

Friendship is a very special thing! I talk daily with my friend Lorna, who has lived far away for more than fifty years. We have maintained a friendship through desire and a genuine love for each other, passed down from our parents. I met my friend Carolyn when I was in middle school, and we still talk regularly, although she has lived in Quebec and Ontario since we graduated high school. Both of these friends, and many others, have seen me through good times and bad, and through communication droughts when we were raising kids, and yet we know that we can count on each other any day or night. Lucky we are when such friendships happen.

Raphael's story of his friendship with Jerome is intense. He finds it very easy to love him.

"On field trips at the art museum,
it's me he chooses as his buddy.

It doesn't bother me at all.
Raphael loves Jerome.
I can say it.
It's easy."

Others don't see Jerome with the same eyes, but Raphael doesn't mind at all. The two love to do everything together. A day with his best friend is just the shot in the arm needed. Olivier Tallec's gentle watercolors perfectly match the tone set in the text. There is humor, and total absorption in how the two spend their days. The palette is warm, showing all that the boys have in common.

That warmth disappears when Raphael's parents become upset about the time the boys spend together. That opposition plays out in a drastic change in color, as Raphael tries to come to terms with his parents and their behavior.

"Dad's voice is like sharp fish bones in my hot chocolate.
Grownups must not be able to think straight in the morning.
Because if I can't talk to Jerome anymore ...

It's not like Jerome is a bad word."

Raphael may be upset by this change in his parents' thinking; it changes nothing concerning his feelings for Jerome. Therein lies the heart of this beautiful story. Raphael will not be influenced by outside opinion when it comes to friendship. The lessons children have to teach us ...