Help!: A Story of Friendship

PreS-Gr 3Because Mouse has heard that snakes are dangerous, he hides from his friend Snake. As he looks around nervously, he falls into a hole and hurts his foot, and none of his other friends can help him. Squirrel is afraid of the dark, the hole is too narrow for Rabbit to hop out of, and Hedgehog is too prickly to carry him. Only Snake can help him, and he devises a way to rescue his friend without frightening him. When he sees who saved him, Mouse is ashamed and tries to make amends. This story has the simplicity of a fable. The appealing art is done in collographs, which are printed collages, and watercolors. By showing Mouse's rescue vertically, the hole seems very deep and Mouse's peril very real. Snake's body, created from a mesh onion bag, looks menacing, but Snake is a true friend. Leafy landscapes are used sparingly, leaving the animals to hover against the white background in some illustrations. Their kind faces make this an engaging tale and a top-notch addition. - Mary Jean Smith, Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN

Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

As this straightforward, genial tale begins, Hedgehog discovers Mouse covering himself with leaves, trying to hide from their friend Snake. Why? Fox told Skunk and Skunk told me that snakes are very dangerous to mice, Mouse explains. Although Hedgehog dismisses the news as silly gossip, Mouse continues to worry and, distracted, stumbles into a deep, narrow hole. For various reasons, Squirrel, Rabbit and Hedgehog cannot help their fallen friend, but trusty Snake devises a way to retrieve Mouse without scaring him. Although the story holds no surprises, the banter feels fresh. Keller's ("Farfallina & Marcel") eye-catching, highly textured illustrations, which she identifies as collographs, or printed collages, balance toy-like depictions of the characters with almost lifelike renderings of the variegated green vegetation. Encircling or framing the text, poking through white space or suddenly changing the page orientation from horizontal to vertical, the art gives this book an irresistibly insouciant spirit. Ages 3-8. (Sept.)

Copyright 2007 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.