Okay, so this book probably appeals to me more than it does Isaac, or other little boys, but it is a sweet book about friendship starring a precocious duck and a big, cuddly polar bear. How could I not include it?
A Splendid Friend, Indeed by Suzanne Bloom is about an inquisitive duck, who acts remarkably like a pre-schooler at times, and a polar bear who initially just wants to be left alone to read, write and think. But, just as Isaac refuses to leave me alone to do those activities, Duck continuously interrupts Polar Bear, always asking "What are you doing?"
The simple text in this book hides a much deeper message about the value of friendship that may make adults teary-eyed, though it will probably be lost on young children. And that is okay. All Duck really wants is to spend time with his friend and Polar Bear eventually understands and is moved by that. Children will see Duck's antics and laugh and may think the ending is sweet as they understand that the two animals really are friends. Then, one day, they will read the book as an adult, maybe to their own child, and they will see themselves in one of the characters and think about their own "splendid friend." And probably be moved to tears.
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