Starring Me and You

January 13, 2014
Best friends Piggy and Bunny, previously seen in Me and You and Without You, attempt to put on a play in their third outing, but their differing personalities and interests threaten to derail the production. Initially, Bunny hides behind their clothesline curtain, claiming to be shy. “So? I’M shy, too!” bellows Piggy, as a tiny frog looks on dubiously. The conversation moves onto the different ways each friend expresses fear and eagerness, and a fight about the subject of the play (pirates vs. singing flowers) is sweetly resolved with apologies and compromise. Côté’s crayony lines and watercolor washes telegraph her heroes’ seesawing emotions with clarity and humor. Ages 2–up.

February 1, 2014
The two animal friends, a pig and a bunny, from Me and You and Without You (2009, 2011) are back in a return engagement as they attempt to put on a play, but will their emotions get in the way? An orange sheet clipped to a clothesline becomes the backdrop as the pig says: "Where are you? The stage is ready. Let's put on a play!" " I'm too shy," answers the bunny. The pig replies, "So? I'M shy, too!" So begins an exchange of feelings on opposite pages in point-counterpoint style. On verso, the bunny says, "[W]hen I'm scared, I freeze like this"; ears and tiptoes crossed, the bunny holds its front paws up to its chin and gazes, wide-eyed, out at readers. On the opposite page, the pig says, "Oh, when I'M scared, I SCREAM like this," arms out, head back, mouth wide open and tail jagged with fright. The pig wants to play pirates on a shipwreck, but the bunny wants to sing a duet dressed as sunflowers. This causes a rift in the friendship that goes from mad to glad. The characters are nameless and therefore universal, and as conveyed totally in dialogue, the soft-edged message hits home with childlike simplicity. Though there are no quotation marks, the consistent placement of dialogue on the page and differentiating typefaces keep readers on track; the bunny's sunflower bonnet and pig's pirate hat work nicely as unifying design elements (down to the endpapers). Third in a series, the book easily stands alone. Among all the picture-book friendship stories, this one stands out for the younger set. (Picture book. 2-5)

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March 1, 2014

PreS-The friends from Me and You (Kids Can, 2009) have decided to put on a play, but they have different ideas about what to do. So begins their story, as each character displays a range of emotions from shy to scared to angry. Preschoolers will identify with these two friends as they struggle to reconcile their differing opinions and work through their feelings. The kid-friendly illustrations are engaging, playfully showing the animals in action and depicting the feelings they experience through body language and facial expressions. The simple text allows ample opportunities for teachers, librarians, or parents to engage listeners in dialogic reading and opens up the possibility for thoughtful conversations about understanding and accepting differences. These two well-established characters, while not adding anything significant to the series in their third adventure, continue to have broad appeal. This title will make a welcome and appropriate addition to any preschool collection.-John Trischitti, Midland County Public Libraries, TX

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2014
Preschool-G The duo from Me and You (2009) and Without You (2011) is back and ready to put on a play. That is, once they get all ready and decide if the play is about pirates or flowers. Piggy and Bunny are certainly different when it comes to expressing their feelings, and they both want their own way when it comes to the play. But after a small fight, they admit that it will be more fun to work together. This book is set up perfectly for choral reading, since Bunny appears on the right side and Piggy on the left. This would even be a good choice to be reenacted by classes since it presents a solid message about compromising. The illustrations are a simple yet charming mix of crayon and watercolors. Fans of other buddy books, such as the Elephant and Piggie series by Mo Willems or Suzanne Bloom's A Splendid Friend, Indeed (2005), will cheer this team of unlikely friends.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2014
While putting on a play, two friends (a pig and a rabbit) share their emotions and the differences in how they convey their feelings. Though they disagree and fight, they reconcile by realizing there is room for both of their personalities. The illustrations are full of passion and will help the story resonate with readers who are exploring how to express themselves.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)