MY BEST FRIEND IS A LION

Making chalk creations on the sidewalk, the story’s narrator—depicted with pale skin, rosy cheeks, and curly orange hair in pigtails—imagines having a pet lion and going on a walk, gaining a racially diverse parade of followers along the way, including Maisie and Violet, who have “decided that best friends should be in twos, not threes.” The protagonist fantasizes about scoring the winning point in a basketball game, getting free ice cream and bakery samples (which “the lion would insist we share”), and traffic stopping so the whole parade could accompany the youngster and lion back home. While drawing these dreams, other children, including Maisie and Violet, ask to join, and the child concludes that “best friends can come in lots of numbers.” This simple, imaginative tale softly showcases friendship exclusion and working through one’s feelings with creativity within the framework of an appealing story about a pet lion. Humor comes through the bright illustrations, particularly when the text doesn’t match up: The ice cream man who “really likes lions” is shown grimacing and quivering as he hands over the cone. The happy ending will comfort young readers, although since the best friends change their tune of their own accord, this story is more about navigating one’s internal emotions than working through a problem with friends.

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