Mississippi Library Association

My Best Friend

Rodman, Mary Ann. My Best Friend. Illustrated by E. B. Lewis.
New York: Viking/Penguin Group, 2007.
32pp. $15.99 (hardback)

Wednesday is playgroup day at the pool and Lily, a typical six-year-old, is there with her mom. Lily chooses Tamika to be her best friend, but Tamika, who is seven, has other plans. Tamika already has a best friend, Shanice, who is also seven. Lily does what she can to make Tamika her best friend, but things just don’t work out. There is, however, another six-year-old at the pool, Keesha. It seems Keesha has chosen Lily to be her best friend, despite Lily being smitten with Tamika. The story progresses and eventually Keesha and Lily become friends. We’ve all seen it and/or lived it. The younger kid tries to impress the older kid into friendship. Younger children do and say all types of things to try to win over older children. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t. This is a cute story filled with beautiful illustrations to describe each scene. It will generate much needed discussions about what constitutes friendship. Recommended for libraries with juvenile collections.

Crystal Giles
Technical Services Librarian
Northwest MS Community College

Entry Filed under: Book Reviews
Posted on: June 26th, 2008