For weeks now, I have been carrying around two new picturebooks about friendship. The stories serve as bookends - one describing a burgeoning friendship; the second depicting not an ending of a friendship, but a realization that the friendship will change when one friend moves away. Of all the many picturebooks about friendship that landed on our shelves in 2014, these are two to remember:
Two Speckled Eggs by Jennifer K. Mann presents the dilemma familiar to many grade school children whose parents insist they invite all their classmates to their birthday party - or none at all.
"Since 'none of them' wouldn't be a very fun birthday party, Ginger invited all of them - even Lyla Browning."
It's obvious that Lyla, who has arrived at the party with her magnifying glass in hand, is not someone Ginger considers a friend. Instead of joining the party games, Lyla looks through her magnifying glass at a ladybug she's found in the house. But after some of Ginger's friends spoil the party games and disapprove of her cake, it is Lyla who cheers Ginger up and presents her with a unique home-made gift. After pretending to be birds and pecking at leftover birthday cake together, Ginger and Lyla have formed a friendship that continues to grow on the school playground.
In The Good-Pie Party by Elizabeth Scanlon, we meet three close friends (Megan, Mae and Posy) who are gloomily packing Posy's belongings. Posy doesn't want to move - and she really doesn't want to say goodbye to her friends. How do you say goodbye when you don't want to? The girls decide to console themselves by baking a pie together and determine that instead of throwing a good-bye party for Posy - they will host a good-pie party.
You're invited to Posy Peyton's Good-Pie Party,
We'll say so long, but not good-bye
We'd love it if you'd bring a pie.
And a wonderfully eclectic group of friends responds to their party invitation with a diverse array of pies to share. Perfect. For isn't that what we do to honor our friends and their unique gifts - whether celebrating the anniversary of their birth, remembering them at their end of life, or even reluctantly saying goodbye to the dear friend retiring after 40 years? We bring out the sweet breads and casseroles, the cookies and cakes, soups and pies - the comfort foods that spread good cheer and soothe our sorrow. And we lift a glass and offer a toast as Posy does: "To good friends."
These two books resonate with me even more now as the old year rolls into the new and I reflect on a friendship shared with a colleague and speckled-egg friend who retires next week. Salud dear Pat Firenze. And thanks for all the chocolates.