Friday, May 10, 2013

Review: Do You Want to Be My Friend?


Do You Want to Be My Friend? by Eric Carle. 1988. 40 pgs. New York, NY: Penguin Group. 9780399215988. Format reviewed: Hardcover.

Annotation: A small mouse searches for a friend among many different animals.
Reaction: Eric Carle uses his illustrations- and what is not said- to tell the story of an unimposing character who just wants a friend. As the mouse moves across the pages, we see a tail of the next animal, which, turning the page, we find out what it is. However, none of the animals want to be friends! Throughout the book, a green stripe runs along the bottom, until, near the end, we see a coil, and realize it’s a snake. The mouse finds another mouse to be friends with, and they happily hide from the snake in a burrow.
Primary early literacy skills: Narrative skills. Reading the book will make very little sense without the use of narrative skills and dialogic reading. To enjoy the book, the use of narrative skills is required!
Recommended ages: 1 and up.
Tags/themes: Mice, friendship, strangers, wild animals, snakes.  
Author site/additional titles: www.eric-carle.com

No comments:

Post a Comment