{"id":36645,"date":"2022-07-21T21:19:32","date_gmt":"2022-07-22T01:19:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=36645"},"modified":"2022-07-21T21:19:32","modified_gmt":"2022-07-22T01:19:32","slug":"review-of-you-are-my-friend-by-aimee-reid-pictures-by-matt-phelan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=36645","title":{"rendered":"Review of You Are My Friend, by Aimee Reid, pictures by Matt Phelan"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>You Are My Friend<\/p>\n

The Story of Mister Rogers and His Neighborhood<\/em><\/p>\n

words by Aimee Reid
\npictures by Matt Phelan<\/p>\n

Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2019. 40 pages.
\nStarred Review
\nReview written August 15, 2019, from a library book<\/p>\n

You Are My Friend<\/em> is an appropriately simple picture book biography about Fred Rogers and why he began his classic television show.<\/p>\n

It simply tells about his lonely childhood dealing with illness and bullying, and some of the ways he coped, such as puppets and music. It talks about his mother telling him to look for helpers and finding friends in his own neighborhood.<\/p>\n

The book covers all the important points about his life and his show, while lingering over some key scenes. I love the scene after his grandfather let him walk on the big stone wall on his farm.<\/p>\n

When at last Fred came back inside,
\nhe had a skinned knee, but he was happy.
\nHis grandpa told Fred that he liked him
\njust the way he was.
\nHe said Fred was special and that,
\njust by being himself,
\nFred made the day special, too.
\nFred let those words sink deep inside him.
\nAs he thought them, he felt braver.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The explanation of his motivation for creating his show comes from Mister Rogers\u2019 testimony to the United States Senate on behalf of public funding for television.<\/p>\n

One day, when Fred was grown up, he saw a television program. People were throwing pies in each other\u2019s faces. Fred did not like the pie throwing, but he thought television could be wonderful. What if, instead of showing people fighting, TV could show people helping one another? Right then, Fred decided that was what he wanted to do.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This book explains the man behind the neighborhood on a level that small children can understand and their parents will particularly appreciate. The illustrations are a perfect accompaniment.<\/p>\n

mattphelan.com<\/a>
\nabramsbooks.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

This review is only on the blog.<\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

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