Will you be my friend?

It's hard to find a friend if you're really shy, declares a little mouse as he looks everywhere for a playmate. He considers Peacock (too fancy) or Frog (too jumpy.) A grumpy-looking bird tells Mouse to keep on looking, hinting that his friend is nearby. Sure enough, full-color photographs show close-ups of other animals, but Owl won't talk to him, Baboon is too hairy, Bee too busy, and Hawk too scary. Mouse keeps searching, finally returning to the Grump to ask: Where is this friend? I can't figure it out. So Bird reveals his secret: he is shy, too! All ends well, with Mouse coming to a happy conclusion: What a great surprise / to find in the end. / So I stopped calling him Grump. / Now I call him my friend. Exceptional nature images tell this very universal story of two characters who find a best friend when they learn to overcome their shyness, and children will love the gorgeous, detailed pictures as they journey along with Mouse.--Gepson, Lolly Copyright 2016 Booklist

PreS-K-Mouse is looking for a friend in this rhyming story. He is quite shy and rejects each potential friend-the frog is too jumpy and the bee too busy-but gets advice from a grumpy bird about an animal who is already his friend. When Mouse finally discovers who that might be, he learns that looks can be deceiving and is happy to have a friend. While this book has many merits (beautiful photography, well-paced rhymes, and large print suitable for early readers), its shortcomings are numerous. Why reject a potential friend for being too hairy? And aside from the fact that the animals talk, they also seem to be from a mishmash of ecosystems. Where are they? VERDICT Purchase only where this team's Swim, Duck, Swim is popular.-Melisa Bailey, Harford County Library System, MD c Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.