My Best Friend

by Pat Hutchins

A little girl eagerly welcomes her best friend to spend the night. She is glad to have a friend who can run faster, climb higher, and jump farther than anyone else. But when the lights are turned out and the visitor is afraid, the little girl proves what best friends are for. "once again Hutchins captures the simple elements of a child's life in a heartwarming story, steeped in truth....A must."--Booklist.

Genres: Picture Books, Friendship, Childrens, African American, 1st Grade

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 15, 1993

About the author

Pat Hutchins is an English illustrator and writer of children's books.

She won the 1974 Kate Greenaway Medal from the Library Association, recognising the year's best children's book illustration by a British subject. The work was The Wind Blew, a picture book in rhyme which she also wrote. It shows how "a crowd of people anxiously chase their belongings" in the wind.

Reviews

[Pipa Guest · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely book which explains that we cannot all be good at everything but sometimes we're good at things that other people are not.

[Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

it made me cry i love my best friend

[Aoife Blood · Rating 2 out of 5]

These reviews were written by children who are aged 7,8,9.

It was just really, really short. It had only one adult and two children. -Tarik
It was terrible because it was very boring. -Cathal
It was an okay book. -Bella
That book was kind and I like it. -Darya
It is a good book for young readers. -Simon
There was no funny parts. -Eitvydas
It was a nice little book but it could be better. -Mila
Everything was just "she was, she was, she was, she was..." -Daniel
Why did the kids look the same? -Michal
I thought it was kind of bad. Since it's boring I give it one star. -Vadim
Very simple story. -Diane
You could learn something from it. -Erin
It was very boring and weird. -Monica
It was unfair because the friend knew everything. -Lilly
It was a really friendly story. -Amelija
It is for younger children aged 3-4. -Kamil
This book was literally terrible. -Patryk
It was very, very short and very, very boring. -Dawid
Every page that we turned on to, it said 'My best friend, my best friend, my best friend' -Rameen
This book should be for younger children. For older children or teenagers, it would be horrible. -Ahmed
I was interested in it because it was about someone's best friend. -Aoife
I don't like this book. It's very boring. -Marcel
IT IS AWESOME! -Olga

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ages 2 and up. A boy is excited to have his best friend stay overnight. With one sentence per page, he explains that she is faster and can button her buttons and not spill her food when she eats, but he reassures her when she's scared of the howling wind at night. All characters are Black.

[Lamar Sanders · Rating 3 out of 5]

Main Characters: An unnamed boy and girl
Point of View: 3rd person
Setting:The boy's house
Plot: The boy's best friend, a girl, comes over for a sleep over. The girl is remarkably better than the boy at many of the activities they engage in during the sleepover , but the boy reacts with admiration and appreciation for their friendship. As the children prepare to sleep, the talented best friend is frightened by the curtain swaying from the window breeze. The boy is able to calm his friend's fears by closing the window, which garners admiration and appreciation from his best friend.
Main Ideas: Friendship, Personal abilities, self-concept
I recommend this book as a teaching tool for younger kids who are beginning to develop friendships. The book helps with threats to self-concept and self-efficacy as children begin comparing themselves to their peers. This book may actually be helpful for adults as well, as we all suffer through "friend envy" at various points in our development. I should give my best friend a call.

[Jacqueline Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book deals with the topic of friendship for young children between the ages of 3 – 5 year olds. The cover page is bright, and colorful. It shows two children sharing a book together as they are sitting in bed with the covers up to their waste. This book illustrates the things that friends do together. It answers the, “What it means to be a friend question”. All preschoolers can identify with this book because the concept of friendship is very important to children within this age group.
I will use this book as I continue to explore the concept of friendship within the Developmental Discipline.

[Shakita · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book could read together by two friends. They can each read a page or read the book and then the other friend reads. The class may be talking about whose important in our lives, this book would be good to read then. Many children have someone who they consider their best friend so they can give reasons why that person is their best friend. Students might be surprised to see that other students have the same reason why someone is their friend or make new friends by doing this.

[Jennesy · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Best Friend is a cute early-read book that demonstrates each person is different and can compliment another person. One little girl seemed to be perfect at everything than the other little girl. Then, the little girl who seemed not as perfect saved the day at the end. I would use this book when introducing working with partners/reading partners.

[Rosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute picture book, although I did find myself wishing that the first little girl had been better at something then her best friend, besides not being afraid. I think I just needed a sense of balance. I think it's a great picture book for story time though and I might just be being weird about the lack of balance. I also really liked the illustrations.

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little girl eagerly welcomes her best friend to spend the night. She is glad to have a friend who can run faster, climb higher, and jump farther than anyone else. But when the lights are turned out and the visitor is afraid, the little girl proves what best friends are for. "once again Hutchins captures the simple elements of a child's life in a heartwarming story, steep...more

[Candice Call · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book could be used to explain how each person is differnt and how we all have our stregths and weaknesses. I would reccomond this book to a child if they felt like they "are not good at anything" because it shows how sometimes we don't notice our own strengths.

[Leanne Hooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book about friendship, comparison, and the value in understanding that we all know different things and have different skills and that's fantastic. Certainly a Hutchins book that should be more widely recognized.

[Katherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

"My best friend is awesome. I'm lame."

[Candi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did not enjoy the message at all in this book.

[Joel Alejandria]

lala

[Tara Boodoo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Teaches children no one is perfect or always strong; everyone has a fear/something that worries them.

[Nicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both my kids have loved this sweet and simple story about two little friends.