The Friendship Wish

PreS-Gr 2—Farley hopes to make friends in his new neighborhood, but his neighbors—a pig, a bird, and a bear— seem to be too busy for him. One night he dreams that an angel is hovering over his bed. She feeds the lonely pup pancakes and plays and dances with him. After he wakes up, he tries to lure her back by making pancakes for her, but when she doesn't show up, he shares them with the other animals. As he tells them what he did with his angel, they all begin to play together and become friends. Farley paints a picture of her so they can see how special she is, and after she reappears in all her splendor, the animals imagine their own angels in their dreams that night. Kleven has created another story revealing the power of imagination. Children will enjoy the fantastical happenings. The mixed-media artwork is elaborate but does not compare to Kleven's art for The Paper Princess (Dutton, 1994) or Abuela (Dutton, 1991), which are brimming with details for readers to explore. An additional purchase.—Diane Antezzo, Ridgefield Library, CT