Billy and Rose: Forever Friends (Billy & Rose)

4.7

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Billy and Rose: Forever Friends (Billy & Rose)

Author(s)

Amy Hest

Co-Authors / Illustrators

Kady MacDonald Denton

Publisher

Candlewick Press

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

October 11, 2022

ISBN

978-1536214192

Buy This Book

Billy and Rose, friends with different ideas, always end up coming together in these charming stories from masterful creators Amy Hest and Kady MacDonald Denton.

Best friends Billy and Rose, an industrious sheep and a laid-back pig, sometimes see things differently. When they play catch, Rose insists that Billy throws too high, and he counters that she throws too low. While Rose thinks washing clothes is the world’s biggest chore, Billy contends that playing the cello holds that distinction. Still, these endearing friends always find a way to work things out: What if Billy plays a cello serenade for Rose while she does her laundry? After all, what they really want is to be together. These four sweet stories by beloved children’s author Amy Hest are filled with gentle wit and enhanced by Kady MacDonald Denton’s delightfully expressive illustrations.

Editor review

1 review

sweet early chapter book about friendship

November 15, 2022

Overall rating

4.7

Plot

4.0

Characters

5.0

Writing Style

N/A

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

5.0

BILLY & ROSE: FOREVER FRIENDS is a sweet chapter book about friendship. Each chapter works as its own insular story. In the first, they are each procrastinating on what they feel is their biggest chore (washing clothes and practicing the cello). When they talk about it, they know it's important to do, and they do them together. In the next, they are having trouble playing catch. Each blames it on the other and the way they throw, so they argue and go their separate ways, only to realize how much they miss each other. In the end, they give it some more tries and finally succeed!

For the third story, they have opened a lovely ice cream stand, but they have no customers. They wait for a long time before realizing they can be each other's customers. In the final story, they want to have a sleepover but both of them only want to have it at their own house. After they each go home, they decide to compromise and meet in the middle.

What I loved: These are really cute and fun stories about friendship with themes around support, creative solutions, compromise, and persistence. Young children will empathize with the characters and appreciate the happy resolution to each of the stories. Having each chapter be a separate story is also great for children who want to tackle only a chapter at a time. As each resolves, it is easy for them to start and stop and read in any order they would like, giving some flexibility.

The illustrations are adorable and full of lovely details, with many different sized illustrations being used throughout. Notably, every page spread features at least one illustration, which helps to break up the text and make it seem less daunting. The font is clear and large throughout, using a black font on a white background that provides the simplicity needed to aid in early reading.

Final verdict: A sweet collection of stories about friendship, BILLY & ROSE: FOREVER FRIENDS is a beautifully illustrated early chapter book with great themes for children to explore.