Be a Friend – Salina Yoon

Bloomsbury

August 2016

ISBN 9781408809093

RRP $14.99

 

There are plenty of children who are different in some way or another and often they are subject to being ‘left out’. Dennis is quite an ordinary boy but he communicates in somewhat an extraordinary way. When his classmates do ‘show and tell’ Dennis mimes his news. Other children climb trees but Dennis would rather ‘be a tree’.  The other children just don’t get Dennis and he becomes invisible and so quite lonely.

Then Dennis meets Joy and a perfect friendship is born. When Dennis kicks an imaginary ball Joy returns the serve.  They don’t need words to express their friendship and Dennis realises that being a bit different is absolutely OK! In fact, it’s something very special.

We all know those children who don’t quite fit the ‘mould’ that others expect them to and this book would be a beautiful way to reassure them that they don’t have to and build their self-acceptance and self-worth.

Highly recommended for your young readers aged around 6 and upwards – and lovers of mim