VERY SPECIAL FRIENDS

The grass is always greener when you have companions to share your time. 

Mouse eagerly awaits the arrival of her “Special Friends” at the river's edge. Rabbit appears and offers to wait with her, and the two play happily. Other neighbors wander by and invite themselves to the impromptu gathering with pleasantly polite dialogue. “Just the weather for waiting,” smiles Frog. “May I join you?” As the day draws to a close, Mouse informs her patient friends that they, her Special Friends, have been with her all along. The appealing outdoor setting is depicted in shades of lush, robust green; the text features a lilting rhythm to illustrate the quiet hustle and bustle of the natural world. “Butterflies fluttered on the breeze. / Bees buzzed in the daisies. / Ants scuttled busily in the grass.” The emphasis is on simple pleasures; Rabbit twirls Mouse with abandon, and the buddies sprawl in the field. Characters' peaceful smiles and animated gestures capture their gentle interactions. Mouse tiptoes nose-to-nose with Frog, tugs Rabbit's ear, and whispers to Turtle while balanced precariously on a tree branch. The diminutive rodent’s engaging personality shines, though readers will wonder why Mouse was so darn cagey about the identity of the Special Friends all day long.

This soothing ode to the power of friendship reveals that a lazy day is always better spent with the ones you love.