HOW HUMANS MAKE FRIENDS

Another lighthearted, elementary guide from Leedy (2x2=Boo!, 1995, etc.), this time a clever how-to on the subject of friendship. Alien Zork Tripork presents a film he's made on a recent expedition to Earth; his audience members are fellow aliens, winsomely odd-looking and seated along the bottom of most spreads. They add their own zany comments to the coverage of topics such as where friends meet, what they do, how they get along (or don't), and how they admit their mistakes. Zork Tripork's literal-minded remarks—the humans ``play with spheres'' (balls)—provide humor, but the real laughs come from the audience. One two-headed brown creature, apparently of pinking-shear ancestry, carries on a hilarious dialogue: ``Do you want to play Universal Blasters later on?'' says one head. The other head replies, ``Sure, I love to win.'' Leedy's approach leavens serious information with giggles in this highly effective discussion of the emotional ties that bind. (Picture book. 5-8)