That's What Friends Are For - Hardcover

Heide, Florence Parry; Clief, Sylvia Van

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0763613975 ISBN 13: 9780763613976

Publisher: Candlewick, 2003

Synopsis

With a sly wink, Florence Parry Heide and Sylvia Van Clief offer a valuable lesson about true friendship, brought to life in vivid collage by Holly Meade.

"If I had a bad leg," says the crab,
"I would get rid of it and grow another one."

"It’s nice of you to give advice,"
says Theodore.

Theodore the elephant has hurt his leg and can’t meet his cousin at the
end of the forest. What a pity! Of course, all the other animals are more than willing to give him advice. After all, that’s what friends are for - isn’t
it? Florence Parry Heide’s unmistakable dry wit rings through this clever
cumulative tale of a long-suffering elephant, his well-meaning friends, and a straight-shooting opossum who reminds them all what being a real friend means.

About this title

About the Author:

Sylvia Van Clief collaborated with Florence Parry Heide on a wide variety
of books and songs, including the children’s collection entitled "Songs to Sing About Things You Think About," with Ms. Van Clief composing the music and Ms. Heide writing the words. Sylvia Van Clief died in 1974.

Holly Meade (1956-2013) wrote and illustrated IF I NEVER FOREVER ENDEAVOR. She earned a Caldecott Honor for her illustrations in HUSH! A THAI LULLABY by Minfong Ho. She also illustrated AND THEN COMES HALLOWEEN by Tom Brenner; ON THE FARM, IN THE WILD, and IN THE SEA by David Elliott; and many others.

From School Library Journal:

PreSchool-Grade 1-First published in 1968 (Four Winds; o.p.) and illustrated by Brinton Turkle, this selection is a bit more didactic than most friendship stories, but the topic is always in demand, and the language patterns and repetition may make it useful for beginning readers. "Theodore the elephant is sitting in the middle of the forest. He has hurt his leg. What a pity!" So begins this cumulative tale of how he enlists his many friends to help him visit his cousin. He gets lots of advice; for instance, the bird tells him to fly, the spider tells him to use his other legs, the monkey suggests that he just swing by his tail. It's not until he meets the opossum that he gets what he really needs, and everyone learns that, "Friends are to help." Told in the present tense with an old-fashioned flavor, this story offers a simple variation on a very old theme. Meade's cut-paper and watercolor pictures are fresh and lively, with soft clear colors.
Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Candlewick
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0763613975
• ISBN 13: 9780763613976
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 40
• Illustrator: Meade Holly