My Best Friend Tilly

Explore the incredible power of imaginative play in this magical tale of friendship.

One little girl can’t wait for her best friend Tilly to come over and play. She imagines all the EXCITING things they might do together. Maybe they’ll play in a GIANT playground or build a fairytale castle, or open an ice cream shop, or . . . or . . . or . . .

But as her imagination runs wild, poor Tilly gets pushed further and further out of the picture! Join the two as they reconnect and discover the eternal magic of friendship in this clever and colorful picture book.


THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP: The two friends realize spending time together is better than all the stuff in the world.

A FOUR-PAGE FOLD OUT SPREAD: Normal-sized pages can’t possibly fit everything in our hero’s imagination!

IMAGINATIVE PLAY: Celebrates creativity and imagination while also highlighting the importance of the little things in life

Perfect for:

• Parents and grandparents looking for a fun read aloud
• Anyone who loves a one-of-a-kind story celebrating creativity
• Fans of books like Not-a-Box or Two Together

Iris Samartzi was born in Athens, Greece. She studied Graphic Design and Interior Design & Architecture in Vakalo School, and graduated with a scholarship. She has attended seminars on child painting and drama in painting. She collaborated with Vakalo School as an assistant professor in Scenography courses, Product Design and Architecture Interiors. She has been working as a children’s book illustrator since 2004, and has been awarded by the Greek IBBY, the EBGE Design Awards, and the Greek National Book Prize. In 2016 she won the Compostela Prize for picture books for the book El último día (author: A. Papatheodoulou). She has been nominated twice for the H.C. Andersen Award (2020, 2022) and is also a nominee for the 2021 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. She teaches art to preschool children.