Forever Friends
ISBN 0824954548 - Cute, which isn't a big thrill for me. The target audience of kids might actually be a huge, huge miss. I do, however, think it has an audience among older female friends.
In place of the "this book belongs to.." page, there is a place to fill in "This book is for... from ...". In rhyme, like oh so many kids' books, a friendship is celebrated: "We like to sing and dance around. - We like to act like circus clowns!" The illustrations are cute, a little Peanut-like, although nothing special.
This is very obviously a book intended to be given to a friend, and the board book binding makes it evident that it's meant for young readers. In addition, the back cover says "...friendships your child forms in childhood may last his or her lifetime..." making it sound like the book is gender-neutral. My impression is that the book is aimed squarely at girls, especially since the illustrations are of two girls and zero boys. It's so sappy that it's not so much a book as a really thick Hallmark-y card. All of that makes me think that adult women might find it a cutsie little wink-wink gift to give a female friend but I don't see young kids getting too excited about reading it.
Last, there's the potential for offense to some people in the line "Yes, God has made us forever friends!" No matter who you're buying it for, once the author throws god in there, they've limited their audience. Not bad, not good; the illustrations are mediocre but better than the text. A bit of a dud, as a book; funny as a "card".
- AnnaLovesBooks
