TOO CLOSE FRIENDS

Roddie addresses the need for sanctuary by deploying that not exactly original, but always trusty, garden hedge. Hippo and Pig are neighbors and pals. They visit each other on alternating days, sharing doughnuts and mud baths. Then one day Hippo trims the hedge between their homes. Pig witnesses Hippo chewing on his toenails and slobbering into his soup pot, Hippo spies Pig stuffing herself with pastries and then popping the buttons of her tutu. They are so disgusted by each other that they cut off all communication. When the hedge grows back, they can get on with their friendship—and their minor indiscretions—again. While the story is neither clever nor groundbreaking, it is both tender and true, and children will appreciate the finer points made about friends and privacy—good hedges make good neighbors. Handsome illustrations by Lambert add to the big-heartedness. (Picture book. 4-8)