You Are Not My Friend, But I Miss You

PreS-Gr 1—Here, Kirk explores playground politics through the thoughts and feelings of an expressive sock monkey. Monkey and his best friend have a falling out when Dog takes his red ball and runs off. When Dog won't share, Monkey grabs the toy away from him and declares, "YOU cannot play with it anymore!" His moment of triumph is fleeting, however. Assailed by memories of all he has shared with Dog, poor Monkey tries to deal with his conflicting emotions. When his efforts to find a new friend fail, Monkey realizes that perhaps he hasn't been a great friend to Dog, either. Monkey approaches the blue and white pup and asks, "Will you come and play with me?" On the last page, the pals happily begin a game of catch. The digitized pen-and-ink illustrations add depth and texture to the story. The series of gracefully crafted spreads eloquently portrays the ups and downs of Monkey's emotional journey. Young readers will identify with the plush, huggable characters and sympathize with Monkey as he struggles to sort out his feelings. Pair this compelling story of friendship and the importance of sharing with Randall de Sève's Peanut & Fifi Have a Ball (Dial, 2013).—Linda L. Walkins, Saint Joseph Preparatory High School, Boston, MA