Best Friend in the Whole World" & The Smile Shop" from Peachtree Publishing

Best Friend in the Whole World by Sandra Salsbury

ISBN: 9781682632505
Hardcover $17.99

My thoughts:  Get ready for a full load of sweetness and joy. The story addresses loneliness, finding a friend, another's need, and the sharing of friendships. 

Charming illustrations portray a cheerful forest and sweet critters and also the feelings of Roland the rabbit, his pine cone friend, and even newer friend, Roland the kitten. 

Tea parties. Lonely strolls through forest. Finding friends. Sharing. The story offers lots of joy in reading and lessons to learn in a delightfully sweet manner.

About the book: Have you ever had an imaginary friend? Then you'll love the heartwarming story of Roland, a lonely rabbit, and his beloved best friend, a pine cone named Milton. A charming debut from author-illustrator Sandra Salsbury.

Roland lives a quiet life filled with books, music, and tea parties for one, but sometimes he feels rather lonely. When Roland finds the perfect companion in Milton (Good listener! Enjoys music! Also alone!), he is overjoyed. It's okay that Milton is just a pine cone; they have so much in common. But clues start popping up in the woods, suggesting someone else might be missing their best pine cone friend. Roland must decide if it's worth leaving someone else in their loneliness to keep Milton in his life.

In this sweet and moving picture book about loneliness, friendship, and compassion, debut author-illustrator Sandra Salsbury celebrates the transformative power of connection and the painful melancholy of loss. Endearingly classic illustrations bring a charming forest world to life.

The Smile Shop by Satoshi Kitamura

ISBN: 9781682632550
Hardcover $17.99

My thoughts:  This sweet story brought back a precious memory to me, the memory of one of my own sweet boys who took his first earnings to buy me, his mother, a gift. Very special for him. And very, very special memory for me.

So in the story the little boy has saved some coins and thinks he has enough to go shopping for something. He doesn't have any idea what he'd like to purchase, but he believes he now has enough to buy something.

He goes to the market place (illustrations are reminenscent of an Eastern bazzar or market place) and meanders throughout looking for something special. He drops and loses some of his coins and now doesn't know if he has enough to buy anything.

Perchance, he sees the "Smile Shop" sign and then the meat of the story ensues.

A lovely story of a boy growing up and trying to buy something with his own money. The anticipation. The excitement. The many choices. And the loss of some of his coins by misshap. 

The illustrations are really rather busy and minutely detailed. The young readers, or listeners, will have lots of opportunity to point out a plethora of interesting items.

A nice addition for libraries and classroom bookshelves.

About the book: Critically-acclaimed author-illustrator Satoshi Kitamura (Hat Tricks) celebrates the value of human connection in this hopeful picture book about the effect of a smile shared between people.

A small boy has saved all his pocket money and visits the market with high expectations. When disaster strikes and he loses his money, he feels very devastated. But wait, what’s that? A Smile Shop? He could really do with a smile. What will happen if he goes in?

Featuring charming, classic illustrations reminiscent of Maurice Sendak and Tomie dePaola, Satoshi Kitamura’s The Smile Shop is an absorbing setting for readers to explore themes of independence, self-worth, and the effect of a smile shared between people.

DISCLOSURE: I received complimentary copies from Peachtree Publishing to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given.