I've read this again and... it's a masterpiece. It's everything a picture book can aspire to be. Funny ("we could bump bottoms together"), fresh, enchanting, sublime (the final illustration is unbearably moving). So European, so classy, so weird, so good.
JUNE 2022: I think this is my #1 picture book of all time.
Friends don't have to be a member of your community. Find your tribe wherever the members may be, even if they have perspectives very different from your own. In fact, *especially* if they are different from you... so much more fun!