Why Should I Like It?
The Short Reason
Friendship • Rhyming text • Beautiful illustrations
The Longer Reason
Two Caldecott honorees-and real-life best friends- team up to illustrate a story of friendship from bestselling author Julie Fogliano.
Like the two stars of this story, illustrators Molly Idle and Juana Martinez-Neal know that differences only make a good friendship stronger. In this bouncy, rhyming story, two best friends think about all the little things that don't matter- and the big things that really, really do.
Mostly I care that you're you and I'm me,
and I care that we're us,
and I care that we're we.
With each artist designing and drawing one character and collaborating on the scenery and details, Molly Idle and Juana Martinez-Neal transformed this sweet story into a celebration of friendship- including their own- and a unique artistic vision.
Working remotely, they swapped drawings across the country, using a limited palette of teal and yellow over graphite. As artwork passed back and forth between their mailboxes, childhood versions of each artist came to life and came together on the page into one unified creation.
Award-winning author Julie Fogliano's rhythmic rhymes bring it all together, expressing the unconditional love any best friend can relate to.
Reviews
★ "Fogliano's sprightly, rhythmic text sets a fun tone for exploring what really matters in friendship. While effective picture books grow from the combining of words and images, this book takes the collaboration a step further by drawing on the talents of real-life best friends and Caldecott honorees Idle and Martinez-Neal. . . . The result is a warm, loving celebration of how to be a friend and a successful artistic experiment."--Booklist, Starred Review
★ "A psychologically acute tally of friendship's most solid foundations, worth sharing with audiences large or small and tailor-made for reading aloud."--School Library Journal, Starred Review
★ "A friendship book made by friends. . . . Fogliano's deftly rhymed verses, which never miss a beat in their cadence or in their emotional resonance, help readers realize that while the friends don't care about surface matters like appearance, attire, or possessions, they do care about each other. Compositionally, they end up occupying shared space on the spreads and will doubtlessly take up residence in readers' hearts, too. . . . Show you care by sharing this book with others."--Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
Age: 3-7
Format: Hardback
Publication date: November 2022
Neal Porter Books/ Holiday House
