A Book of Friends

Dave Ross is the author and illustrator of over thirty books for children, including the bestselling A Book of Hugs and A Book of Friends. His favorite kiss from A Book of Kisses is a Good Morning kiss. He has spent many years working with children and currently runs two community organizations for children. He lives with his wife and children in Clifton Park, New York.

PLB 0-06-028362-9 Ross reduces a topic as enigmatic and multi-faceted as friendship to didacticism and platitudes. ``Friends come in all different sizes and shapes and colors,'' the text intones; friends can be big and small, new and old, best and imaginary. The things Ross suggests pals do togethertake new experiences, confide troubles, have an adventure, sharewill hardly be news to children, and becomes somewhat bald in these pages. The asides are worse: ``It's not the size of your friends that counts. It is the size of your heart'' and ``It doesn't matter how many friends you have. . . . It's quality, not quantity, that counts!'' Some people won't mind the presentation; the bestseller lists are full of such volumes as Ross and Rader's A Book of Hugs; still, most children will want to dodge the finger-wagging. (Picture book. 3-7) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.