“Friends in Books,” Friend, Mar. 1972, 47
Friends in Books
The King’s Fountain
by Lloyd Alexander; illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats. New York: E. P. Dutton & Co., 1971.
A poor man searches for a wise person to plead the cause of the villagers before the king, but no one is willing. He decides that if it is to be done, he must do it himself—and he finds that a brave heart is more convincing than a wise head or a golden tongue.
Do You Have the Time, Lydia?
written and illustrated by Evaline Ness. New York: E. P. Dutton & Co., 1971.
Lydia never finishes anything. Either she doesn’t have time because she is busy doing too many things, or she puts it off until later. It is fun to read how she learns that if she takes time, she has time.
Bear Circus
written and illustrated by William Pene du Bois. New York: The Viking Press, 1971.
A troop of kangaroos rescues the teddy bears of Koala Park after a green cloud of grasshoppers strips their gum trees of food. In repayment the bears put on a spectacular circus, but another shortage of food helps them to discover that true friends never owe each other anything.
Victor
by Clare K. Galbraith; illustrated by Bill Commerford. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1971.
Victor feels like a loser. He learns English at school but speaks only Spanish at home. One night both parts of his divided life come together, and he feels like a winner.
The Magic Pumpkin
by Gloria Skurzynski; illustrated by Rocco Negri. New York: Four Winds Press, 1971.
Mother Parvati’s journey through the jungle in her magic pumpkin is interrupted by a hungry tiger and a hungry wolf. The old woman does not intend to be dinner for either, so she outwits both.