Review - The Word for Friend

The Word for Friend
by Aidan Cassie
Date: 2020
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: library

From author/illustrator Aidan Cassie, the creator of Sterling, Best Dog Ever and Little Juniper Makes It Big!, comes The Word for Friend, an adorable and timely picture book story about ways to welcome, friendship, and overcoming language barriers that will connect classmates and cultures alike.

Kemala the pangolin is sure she's going to make friends at her new school in her new country. After all, Kemala loves to talk. The kids at school like talking, too--but their words are all different. This country speaks a language Kemala doesn't know.

At first, no one understands Kemala either. This realization makes her curl into a little ball, like most pangolins do when they're nervous. But a classmate helps draw her out with an art project that doubles as a vocabulary exchange. Soon, Kemala is learning the most universal language of all: friendship.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Here's yet another delightful offering from Aidan Cassie. Kemala is a pangolin who's just moved to a new country. When she realizes that none of the kids at school speak her language, she clams up and curls into a ball. But an anteater named Ana soon draws her out of her shell, and the two discover that friendship is a language that they can both share.

Adding a smattering of Esperanto, the book also offers a few facts about pangolins. But it's really the story and illustrations that are the real draw here. Like Sterling, Best Dog Ever and Little Juniper Makes It Big!, The Word for Friend features a cast of adorable characters with wonderful facial expressions, and charming settings for them to play in.

I think Cassie has quickly become one of my favourite picture-book authors. Though she's only released three books so far, they're all wonderful. I can't wait to see what's next!

Quotable moment:

Premise: 4/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 5/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 5/5

Overall: 4.5 out of 5