The Friend - Hardcover

Stewart, Sarah

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0374324638 ISBN 13: 9780374324636

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), 2004

Synopsis

From the beloved husband-and-wife team of The Gardener, a Caldecott Honor Book

Annabelle Bernadette Clementine Dodd
Was a good little girl, though decidedly odd.
Belle lived every day as if she were grown --
She thought she could do everything all on her own.

Lucky for Belle, she has a friend at home, a caregiver named Beatrice Smith -- Bea -- who keeps a close eye on her so she doesn't get into too much mischief. Through the week Belle helps Bea as she does chores or shops or bakes, and at the end of most days they head to the beach -- Belle and Bea, hand in hand, by the sea. But one afternoon Belle sneaks outside to play all alone, and something happens that changes her life forever.

A lyrical rhymed text and pictures that pack emotion combine to present powerful portraits of a girl and her loving guardian.

About this title

About the Author:

Husband and wife duo Sarah Stewart and David Small have worked together on several picture books, including The Gardener, a Caldecott Honor book available from Square Fish. Small has also illustrated other books, including the 2001 Caldecott Medal winner So You Want to Be President?, by Judith St. George. Stewart and Small live in a historic home on a bend of the St. Joseph River in Michigan.

From AudioFile:

This book appreciates the caretakers in the world--those like Bea, friend and companion who watches over little Belle. In fact, Stewart dedicates this book to "all the people across the world who have saved the lives of children by paying attention when others did not." Here Stewart's meaning is quite literal--little Belle runs out to the ocean alone and has a scary encounter. Stewart's voice hints of the South as she reads her lightly rhyming prose. Musical expressions illustrate the contentment of a lazy day by the ocean and the terror of being grabbed by a large wave. Children will enjoy David Small's award-winning illustrations as they follow along with Stewart's calm, well-paced reading. J.C.G. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0374324638
• ISBN 13: 9780374324636
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 48
• Illustrator: Small David