Very Best (almost) Friends

Susan Marie Swanson

In his selection of poems, Paul Janeczko acknowledges what every child knows but not every adult admits: friendship is not all good times. Very Best (almost) Friends is about loneliness, insults, anger, and teasing—and it is about intimacy, shared memory, kindness, and loyalty. -- Riverbank Review

Children's Literature - Carolyn Mott Ford

The title is a reminder that, although true friendship may be precious, it is not always perfect. The poems celebrate the joys as well as the torments kids experience as they make, keep, and lose friends. And then, there are those "friends" who are not. Of particular delight is "The Dollar Dog" by John Ciardi which ends with, "Yes, some might call him a mongrel, but/To me he was thoroughbred, pedigreed mutt./A middle-sized nothing, or slightly smaller;/But a lot of kinds to get for a dollar." Yes, there are those times in life when a dog is the most comforting friend. A clever and funny poem is "Toby Twits Tina" by Jeanne Steig, while "Jim" by Gwendolyn Brooks touches the heart. Charlotte Zolotow, Myra Cohn Livingston, Judith Viorst, X. J. Kennedy and Nancy Willard are among the other writers celebrating friendship in this slim volume of nicely illustrated poetry.

Kirkus Reviews

This great anthology focuses on all types friendship—from pets to rivals to soulmates. The poems range from Walter Dean Myers's touching "Friendship" to X.J. Kennedy's humorous "My Stupid Parakeet Named After You" to Naomi Shihab Nye's poignant "I Still Have Everything You Gave Me." Davenier's delightful watercolor characters have all the verve of Quentin Blake's work, fitting the many moods of the poems that whisper, stalk, tumble, contemplate, and joke through these pages. (Poetry. 8-12) .