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Saturday, December 9, 2023

Friends, written and illustrated by Mies Van Hout. Pajama Press, 2023. $22.95 ages 3 and up

 


"play 

bore 

tease"

Mies Van Hout is a master at creating books with meaning for toddlers to young adolescents, and their parents. Artwork, created using chalk and pastel in carefully-chosen brilliant colors and placed on black backgrounds, give full attention to the two figures chosen to represent a single word on each double-page spread. 

The twelve words shared show friendship in a variety of contexts. The creatures differ in size, are quirky in nature and being. It is obvious that they have feelings for each other; these feelings vary through a gamut of images, exploring play, boredom, fight, hope and others. I could go on to describe each one. It would be so much more entertaining if you took the time to find this wonderful book in a bookstore or at the library. What a perfect gift it would make for a little one interested in expanding vocabulary and keen to talk about emotions felt when dealing with friends. 

Pair it with Happy (2023) to put in a Christmas basket for your favorite little one. They will find much to love about both books. Then, check out other books written by this prolific and exceptional artist.                                                                              


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