from the inquiring mind of childrens author and educator Barbara Jean Hicks
Tis the season for candle-lit dinners, heart-shaped candy boxes and red roses—for some folks out there, I’m sure! For me, this year, ’tis the season to celebrate the true loves of my life—my friends, especially those long-time friends who have remained loving and loyal over many years, through thick and thin (and over the course of many romances!).
Some of my all-time favorite children’s books explore and celebrate friendship. Can you identify the title and author of the stories that capture the very special relationships between the following characters? (Answers below—don’t peek till you give yourself a chance to guess!)
- Anne and Diana
- Buddy and Miss Sook Falk
- Frog and Toad (okay, this one’s a give-away!)
- Jess and Leslie
- Mike and Mary Anne
- Nicky and Andrew
- Omri and Little Bear
- Ratty and Mole
- Wanda, Maddie and Peggy
- Wilbur and Charlotte
These are books that were already classics when I was a child, or were written when I was a child and are now considered classics. Contemporary children’s authors continue to explore and celebrate friendship—one of my more recent favorites is Kate DiCamillo’s Because of Winn-Dixie.
What is your favorite contemporary children’s book or series about the special kind of love that exists between friends?
Answers to Quiz:
- Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
- A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote
- Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel
- Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
- Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton
- Freckle Juice by Judy Blume
- The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks
- The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
- The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes
- Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
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