Are We Still Friends?

by Ruth Horowitz

Beatrice and Abel are the finest of friends. Beatrice raises bees. Abel grows apples. In summer, they gather sticky, sweet honey together, and in fall, they harvest ripe, red fruit. They make a perfect pair in every season, and so do the bees and the trees.

Until one spring morning, Abel startles a bee--ZING!--and gets stung. "WHEE HEE HEE!" he cries. But Beatrice hears only the silly sounds and laughs. OUCH! Is their friendship strong and steady enough to weather the stinging words and messy quarrel that stem from misunderstanding?

Friendship and nature form the perfect pair in this warm and winsome celebration of teamwork, ecology, and the art of saying "I'm sorry."

Genres: Picture Books, Friendship, Childrens, Animals, Jewish, Nature, Fiction

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

I have worked as a librarian in a Catholic girls’ high school, raised two children, run for public office, taught Torah at a Hebrew school and served the causes of truth and grammar as a contributing editor at Vermont’s alternative weekly newspaper, Seven Days. I grew up in Montclair, New Jersey, and also spent part of my childhood in Paris. Since then I’ve lived in Los Angeles and Burlington, Vermont. I now live with my husband and write full time in Rhode Island. I recently completed a novel for adults.

Reviews

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars!!

Bea and Able are neighbors and have been best friends forever. They share everything and look out for one another, until one day- a chain of events leaves them at a crossroads in their friendship. Will they ever get back to the way things used to be?

Are we still friends is a great example on learning communication. I think there is an important lesson for young ones to learn while reading this book. I thought it was a fun and creative book with beautiful illustrations. One in which, opens a door to a teachable moment with children.

[La Coccinelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Are We Still Friends? is a simple story about a misunderstanding between Beatrice and Abel, a bear and a mouse. After their fight escalates, they both realize what's truly important and end up apologizing.

I wasn't that enamoured with this book, though I can't quite put my finger on why. Maybe it's the overly simple story; it lacks nuance, and the resolution is a little too quick and pat. Or maybe the illustrations didn't capture my imagination. I like how Beatrice and Abel raise bees and apples, and share the bounty with each other, but that wasn't enough to make me fall in love with the story.

I'm reminded of another book with a similar premise: What James Said by Liz Rosenberg. It's more realistic, and I love the illustrations. I think I'd recommend that book over this one if you're looking for a book about misunderstandings and apologies.

Quotable moment:

[Angelina · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

[This Kooky Wildflower Loves a Little Tea and Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute story about two friends, a misunderstanding, and their problem resolution.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beatrice and Abel are the best of friends, and spend their days gathering honey and harvesting apples. After all, Beatrice raises bees, and Abel has an apple orchard. It's a friendship made in Heaven since the bees and the fruit are dependent on one another. But even the best of friends can have a falling out, and one day Abel is stung by a bee. Thinking he is laughing about something, Beatrice mimics his reaction, and one thing leads to another, and the two exchange insults. A small war ensues with signs being posted and fences being erected and piles of junk being piled to keep the other one out. When the pile files, Abel comes to his friend's rescue, and they realize just how silly both of them have been. After all, the trees and the bees have paid no attention to their little conflict and have just kept on going about their business. Illustrated perfectly with watercolor, pencil, and digital artwork, this picture book would be a good title to share with youngsters as an example of how misunderstandings can occur as well as how to go about patching things up when you've inadvertently hurt someone. After all, good friendships are worth the effort. I like the fact that the friends trade reading material in the end with Beatrice reading Abel's Apple Pie Recipes and Abel browsing her The Bee Manual. Maybe they'll gain even more appreciation for the hobbies of one another.

[Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-put together story that teaches young ones on the importance of finding out the truth first before getting all worked up. I love the themes and ideas surrounding this book - the four seasons, nature (bees and honey, apple-harvesting), neighbours, friendships, emotions, lending a hand to someone in need, forgiveness. My children was engaged throughout the story and was upset that Abel and Beatrice quarrelled. They kept exclaiming, "No! No! That's not what he said!" and "No! She didn't mean it in this way!" I am surprised that this book seems so underrated, but that goes to show the difference in people's tastes and preferences. I would highly recommend this book to children 4 - 6 years of age.

[Rell · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter loved this book. It’s about two friends, Beatrice and Abel, the best of friends that had a complete misunderstanding, and instead of talking about it they jumped to conclusions, became angry and started to act out.

I think some of the words in the book went over her head but they did give the opportunity for me to teach her some added vocabulary. She’s 7 and was able to point out the adjectives and said the author used a lot of them lol. Overall it’s a cute little book. I would’ve give it a 3.5 but my daughter said a 5 so a 5 It is since it was a read for her

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Will the misunderstanding from the "Bee Sting Incident" wreck the close friendship between Beatrice and Abel?

In this picture book tale, friendship is simple. The misunderstanding is simple.

The question here is whether or not the main characters will communicate? Or will they put the worst interpretation on what has happened?

FIVE STARS for a tale that teaches by example, teaching how to apologize, teaching what a difference that can make.

[Valerie Doherty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Children's picture book- Cute characters and illustrations. Themes of friendships, cooperation, and the power of apology to sustain relationships are threaded throughout the text without sounding overly preachy or righteous. It's not always easy to pull off those moral lessons in text. Well done, Ruth Horowitz.

[Tori · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute book about friendship almost as an ecosystem - something that balances and requires check-ins and repair. I think there could have been a little more done to emphasize how the characters decided to come back together and apologize, but the concept is one that's helpful for kids regardless.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beatrice and Able are best friends who live next door to each other. But when a simple misunderstanding occurs, their friendship is put to the test, and it takes a disaster to bring them around. An easy apple butter recipe is at the end of the book.

[Casandria · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 friends who enjoy each other's company and help have their friendship tested through a misunderstanding.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice story about how easy it is for miscommunication to cause a fight. Two friends always help one another, one day they get into a fight. This is how Abe and Beatrice fight and make up.

[Cara Byrne · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the book has a good message about forgiveness and friendship, the story is very text-heavy and lost my preschooler's attention. Part of the PJ Library collection.

[Curatorium . · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun tale of two great friends children will enjoy reading. The story moral is present but not overwhelming. Readers will enjoy empathizing with the friends’ quarrels.

[Tipton/DeSanto #CLASSROOMBOOKADAY · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was funny when Bea fell in the pile of stuff.

[Christine Meunier · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute story about friends who help each other through the seasons of the year.

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, how a simple misunderstanding can spiral out of control! This book was adorable with a story of fixing a friendship with a backdrop of happy pollinators.

[Chrissy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Storytime: Friends

Also a good story to illustrate how to resolve disagreements and still get along.

[Sharie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Misunderstandings can really get in the way of friendship.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such sweet illustrations. I love the bees! A book about how to say "I'm sorry" to a dear friend.

[Brenda Kahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A humorous story of misunderstanding between friends, sweetly illustrated.

[Debbie Tanner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really nice story about two friends who work together until one day they overhear the other talking and their feelings get hurt. This would be a nice one to use with the lower grade students about positive intent and apologizing.

[Lisa D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Cute book about friendship

[MaryLibrarianOH · Rating 4 out of 5]

BEA and Abel are neighbors who help each other harvest their goods. Misunderstandings breeds discontentment but Horowitz shows friendships can survive if you can listen and forgive.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderfully cozy book about a cozy friendship that hits a rough patch and then repairs.

[Sara Grochowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the illustrations in this one! Not a huge fan of the name-calling the characters engage in, but that's just a personal preference.

[Sarah Barry]

Learn and talk about holding grudges and forgiveness