Review by Booklist Review
From the day they met, Ana and Harwin were best friends. They played for countless hours together, until Harwin finds out she has to move far away. Suddenly, the hours begin to fly miserably fast. No matter what, though, they're determined to make their friendship last. The story is PreK-simple in its plot and text but remarkably complex in its method, expertly using infographics on every page: a Venn diagram of the girls' overlapping interests, a floor plan of the house-labeling games played within, an illustrated Halloween time line, a coordinate chart about tree climbing, a bar chart of emotional states, and a schematic diagram of the ingredients in fairy tea. Even the copyright and dedication are infographics. Fisher, who has created information graphics for the New York Times, has used her unique skill set to tap into an entirely original mode of storytelling for her author-illustrator debut. While the appeal of schematics, flowcharts, time lines, and pie charts may not be universal, those with interest in the topic will feel wondrously seen.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Fisher, an infographics contributor to the New York Times, makes her solo debut with a friendship story chronicled through charts, graphs, and maps. When narrator Ana, an inveterate "charter" portrayed with brown skin, meets white-presenting Harwin at a fair, their commonalities and unique qualities become the subject of the book's first chart, a Venn diagram that notes Ana's ADHD and interest in medical science as well as Harwin's dyslexia and appreciation of climbing trees. Subsequent spreads chronicle their deepening connection, using different kinds of visuals, each rendered in energetic pencil and marker cartooning: the x and y axis depicting tree-climbing skills are layered with the tree's trunk and limbs, and a coordinate chart shows where Ana and Harwin intersect in terms of tolerance for loud, noisy parties. Learning that Harwin is moving "really far away," Ana droops over an emotion-centric bar chart, and flowcharts the viability of being mailed to Harwin's new home. But it's possible to conceptualize probabilities as well as realities, and the book ends on a hopeful note, as the kids imagine what the future may hold in store--from virtual birthday parties to global, grown-up adventures. A glossary of charts with activities concludes this social-emotional dataviz accounting. Ages 4--8. Agent: Lara Perkins, Andrea Brown Literary. (Feb.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1--3--Ana and Harwin become best buds the day they meet. As in many friendships, theirs is full of adventure, imaginative play, and occasional disagreements. And as with many childhood friendships, they are certain theirs will last forever--until Harwin tells Ana her family is moving away. This sweet story is buoyed by colorful illustrations and a different chart or diagram on each page. For instance, a map of play activities at Ana's house shows that Harlow spent five hours trying to run up the crooked tree (Ana only spent one). A flow chart Ana creates for whether she can pack herself in Harlow's suitcase ends by asking, "Do I like breathing?" and concludes that she cannot, in fact, stow away. While so many diagrams could easily make the book feel cluttered, Fisher smartly uses color to delineate diagram parts and occasionally renders the background in a soft gray and white to allow the charts to stand out. Teachers will enjoy this as an easily accessible introduction to many types of charts. The first page, for instance, shows a pictorial Venn diagram of what the girls have in common. The details in the various charts reward close reading with laughable details that further highlight the girls' distinct personalities. Back matter explains the types of charts used in the book, including Venn diagrams, maps, time lines, bar charts, flow charts, and more. VERDICT A uniquely told story that will delight all readers. Highly recommended.--Lindsay Loup
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Review by Horn Book Review
Clever, whimsical, and jam-packed with details, Fisher's visual graphics chart the friendship of two young girls. First up, a Venn diagram, drawn by the story's narrator, Ana, captures what she and brand-new pal Harwin do -- and don't -- have in common. Both, for example, enjoy cheese and graphic novels, but Ana loves turtles, while Harwin adores horses. Later infographics include a schematic diagram of the girls' recipe for fairy tea, a coordinate chart of their differing tree-climbing abilities, and a timeline of their "so cooool!" Halloween adventures. But Ana's declaration -- "I thought the fun would last forever" -- hints that a big bump looms ahead. Sure enough, readers soon learn that Harwin is moving away. A bar graph ranks Ana's many feelings: shock, sadness, fear, envy, and also a bit of excitement for her friend. Dialogue and narration are at a minimum here, with just enough of each to introduce the various charts and propel the plot along. Humorously drawn with marker, pencil, and image editing software, Fisher's infographics will have readers lingering over the pages of this heartwarming celebration of a friendship that will last "this year, next year...and the years after that." An annotated list of "Some Useful Kinds of Charts" is appended. (c) Copyright 2023. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Charts, diagrams, and other visual aids map out a tight friendship. Fisher adds occasional lines of narrative, but they're hardly needed, as the graphics ingeniously incorporated into each illustration really tell the whole story--beginning with a Venn diagram showing that dark-skinned, dark-haired Ana ("me") and blond-haired, light-skinned Harwin ("you") may have differences aplenty (while Ana has ADHD, Harwin has dyslexia), but they share enough interests to spark a close and lasting bond. Later, a timeline traces hilarious Halloween experiences, proportionally sized circles allow instant comparisons between hours spent in various sorts of play, and, climactically, Ana literally flops on a bar chart of feelings ranging from "shock" (the highest and red) to a lower and neutral-colored "excitement for you" upon learning that Harwin is moving away. Attentive viewers will spot subtle signs of character development, too, such as Harwin's absorption in a book in a later scene. "We will always be friends," the narrator affirms in parting, and, surrounded by images of ways to stay in touch and share experiences long distance, perhaps they will. Last but not least, backmatter identifying the various infographics on view here and explaining how they can be used will tempt readers strongly to page back for closer looks. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A loving tale inventively and informatively told. (Informational picture book. 7-9) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
