Happy was an international hit that showed off Mies van Hout’s uncanny ability to convey feelings with her vibrant illustrations.
With Friends she goes one step further and shows emotional interactions. Just as she made the fish of Happy uniquely hers, here she uses monsters to show different situations–they cuddle, laugh, play, but they also fight, tease and more–making the images recognizable for little monsters of all ages.
It is lunchtime but Little Donkey does not want to eat, so Mama shares his food with the ducks in the park.
“There, there” — one of the most soothing expressions in the English language. In this story, Little Hansie Bear loves to pretend, but walking like a duck can be hazardous, especially when he falls into a deep- down ditch and has to be helped out by his dad. With a “There, there” and a hug, Hansie is soon off to play again. So when Dad hurts his foot, Hansie knows just what to do — a “There, there,” a big hug, and everything is all right again.
Neglected by her busy father, a lonely young girl receives a toy gorilla for her birthday and together they take a miraculous trip to the zoo.
Today has something special in store―the first snow! The day begins with gray skies and a chill in the air, but soon soft blankets of white cover everything in sight. Hooray! With a warm hat and scarf, it’s time to get out of the house and into the bright, white world.
A child has a very difficult time getting Fred, the dog, to bed.
Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson tells the story of how his grandfather taught him to turn darkness into light in this uniquely personal and vibrantly illustrated tale that carries a message of peace.
How could he—a Gandhi—be so easy to anger?
One thick, hot day, Arun Gandhi travels with his family to Grandfather Gandhi’s village.
Silence fills the air—but peace feels far away for young Arun. When an older boy pushes him on the soccer field, his anger fills him in a way that surely a true Gandhi could never imagine. Can Arun ever live up to the Mahatma? Will he ever make his grandfather proud?
What does this monster have under his bed? Bobo is a young monster who’s afraid to sleep in his own bed. He is sure there is a boy hiding beneath it – a boy with “pink skin and orange fur on his head where his horns should be.” Bobo’s older brother thinks he’s a fraidy-cat, but his grandpa, Boo-Dad, knows all about these fearful creatures. And Boo-Dad knows exactly what to do to scare them away. But after being afraid for so long, Bobo might just want to take matters into his own paws and find out if the creature under his bed really is as bad as he thinks. This rambunctious story of a youngster overcoming anxiety and limitations is set in a captivating otherworld that springs to life in pictures full of enchantment and surprise.
Little Owl loves many things, including his tree house in City Park, riding his scooter, and eating ice cream. But he does not love the new orange scarf his mommy makes him wear. It’s too long. It’s too itchy. It’s too. . . orange!
After several attempts to lose his orange scarf, Little Owl finally succeeds. But after a trip to the yarn store, Mommy has the perfect solution to keep Little Owl warm and happy.
Seventh grader Georges moves into a Brooklyn apartment building and meets Safer, a twelve-year-old self-appointed spy. Georges becomes Safer’s first spy recruit. His assignment? Tracking the mysterious Mr. X, who lives in the apartment upstairs. But as Safer becomes more demanding, Georges starts to wonder: what is a lie, and what is a game? How far is too far to go for your only friend?
Featured in Volume VI, Issue 2 of WOW Review.