A Splendid Friend, Indeed (Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor ... (ISBN 1590782860)

Splendid, indeed:
The opening pages of this book are wordless but the incredible texture of the polar bear's fur stretches across two pages and begs to be touched. The fur is rendered in pastels or chalk and the tips of the hairs have a green algae tinge to them just like polar bears I have seen at the zoo. Duck is enthusiastically trying to gain the bear's attention by claiming to enjoy all the things Bear enjoys like reading and writing. Bear is not amused nor interested until Duck writes him a letter from the heart. They become splendid friends. The simple language is embellished by the comical expressions of Bear and Duck. There is a easy warmth to this story that underscores the importance of not making snap judgements about new people we meet.

Oh dear... the cover illustration...:
At the risk of sounding needlessly lewd, we declined to stock this title in the bookshop because the goose on the cover looks less like a goose and more like part of the bear's anatomy, lending itself to a very vulgar interpretation. It probably should have been better thought out.

I thought the book was amazing:
This is a friendly and kind book indeed. It was about a friendly goose nice, energized and inquisitive, and a polar bear, irritable and grouchy. Interestingly enough, the goose is making the polar bear annoyed and grumpy like a lion, because the goose is asking too many questions while bear is reading, writing, and thinking. Goose goes to get a snack and writes a friendship letter. He comes back with the letter and reads it to bear who is overjoyed because the letter is so loving. In the end, they shared feelings and were happy. I would rate this book a five star book because you can really learn how to be a good friend!!!! Reviewed by: Amanda

Instant Classic:
The cover illustration right away drew me in. This is a very sweet little board book and very worthy of the Seuss honor. The illustrations appear to be chalk, which is not a very common medium in children's illustration, with all the clicks of a computer available to us these days. The illustrations are very textured and vivid and invite close scrutiny as the characters come alive. Having several younger siblings I have lived the story in the book countless times. The Bear is in the midst of some quiet Bear time, reading etc. And the Goose is ready to chat, ready to spend some time with someone else, not really paying attention to how the Bear is trying to brush him off. However, even the Bear can't brush off the very sweet note the Goose gives him. Its a lovely story about friendship, its worth buying for the illustrations alone however.

A Splendid Book, Indeed:
Lots of lively discussion resulted after reading this sweet story to a group of kindergartners. The illustrations are bright, simple and reveal most of the story's plot and emotions. Students were able to read this book along with me after just one read. Teachers and parents will enjoy the reaction to this book when sharing it with youngsters.