January 2017

Best Frints in the Whole Universe  |  By Antoinette Portis

I am a big fan of children’s author/picture book artist Antoinette Portis.  She has written some of my favorites: Not a Box, Not a Stick, Froodle, A Penguin Story, and Wait.  Ms. Portis’ newest book is my pick for the New Year.
Best Frints in the Whole Universe is a story that revolves around best “frints” Yelfred and Omek from the planet Boborp.  These two have been “frints” since they were little “blobbies.”  They spend most of their time together, conversing in their own language, eating “yunch,”and playing games like “eye ball in the peedle pit” which is a favorite!  Just like on our planet, sometimes best “frints” do not get along and sometimes best “frints” forget what it means to be a good “frint.”
One day Yelfred and Omek get so angry they treat each other in a way best “frints” should not be treated. Yelfred gets so mad that he bites off Omek’s tail!  Lucky for Omek, on the planet Boborp, tails grow back and so does friendship. 
This book is bright and the pages are alive with color. The characters are whimsical little cartoons.
I was amazed after reading this book to a snack group for the first time, how many children understood the language.  They were able to recognize new words (not too far from our own language) and enjoyed translating the text.
This book might make a wonderful “blurfday” gift for your child, that is of course if they do not get the “spossip” they always wanted!