Hello, friends! Our book today is This Book is My Best Friend by Robin Robinson, a moving tale of friendship and the power of books and reading.

Two children – unnamed in the story but identified as Sunny and Aarush on the front flap – meet unexpectedly as they reach for the same picture book in the library. Each gently explains to the other that they NEED the sole copy of the book, Factory Friends, because the book is their best friend. Sunny loves it because it stars a robot and it helps make the long hours at hospital for Mom’s health problems less scary. Aarush loves it because it stars a mouse and brings moments of peace and quiet to an otherwise hectic home life. Both kids do their best to help the other find a suitable replacement, but there is just nothing to compare to the friendship that their chosen book provides. After all, it’s so hard to make friends, and when you find one that really gets you and your feelings, you want to hold on tight. But maybe books are like people, and they can have more than one best friend?

Wonderful. Robinson’s quietly amusing, touching, and insightful tale brings together all the best things about books and friendship: what each give to us, how they can enrich our lives, how they can help us cope with tough times, and how they can bring people together. The dialogical text speaks as guilelessly as two children would, and reads easily with different typefaces between the characters. The artwork is warm and sweet, and I loved the diversity between Sunny and Aarush, especially in their body types; while many picture books are paying more attention to inclusive representation in their character models, body type still sees limited diversity, especially in child characters. Otherwise, the length is great, JJ loved this one, and we absolutely recommend it to every book lover. Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)