Discovering New and Unexpected Friendships

by Sarah Momo Romero

While the heat in L.A. keeps it feeling like summer all through September, the crowds of parents and kids walking to my neighborhood elementary school are a reminder that back to school time is here. It’s time for new classrooms and lessons, brand new school supplies and for some, new friends. Making friends, like many new experiences in childhood, happen in all sorts of fun and surprising ways. These picture books capture some of the most entertaining friendships, real, imaginary, and even with different species.

Colette paints the most elaborate and adventurous stories about her lost pigeon in Colette’s Lost Pet by Isabelle Arsenault. Colette’s “lost pigeon” becomes grander and more impressive with each page turn. The author illustrator relies on a simple color palette to guide the reader’s eyes to her character’s curious, amused, and delighted expressions.  And Arsenault’s beautifully rendered illustrations, filled with fun details of smudges, dabs of pattern “rendered in pencils, watercolor, and ink with digital coloration in Photoshop” add to this charming story of a fantastic imagination and new friendships.

---

Does your little one have an imaginary friend? In this case, it’s an Imaginary Fred. This delightful picture book by Eoin Colfer, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers is another picture book with a limited color palette. Jeffers signature style of simple line work is paired with a halftone texture (the retro print effect of colored dots, similar to old comic books) to cleverly create Fred’s blue skin tone. Readers will delight in this story, told from the imaginary friend's point of view, and his search for a lasting friendship.

How can anyone resist a book about a girl and her new elephant friend? Ella Who? by Linda Ashman, illustrated by Sarah Sanchez features the most adorable little girl and her rambunctious new friend, who has everyone asking, “Ella Who?” Sanchez makes full use of color in her playful illustrations of Ashman’s dynamic duo, enjoying a tea party and having adventures. Sanchez has that textural touch I love in illustrations so much, with very intentional brushstrokes and marks. What better way to spend an afternoon than with a baby elephant?

Do you have a favorite picture book about an unlikely or memorable friendship? Share it here!

Sarah Momo Romero is a Japanese Peruvian American artist, a graphic designer by day and children's book author and illustrator by night.  She’s loved drawing and painting since she was chiquita and now crafts stories of adventure and wondrous creatures.  Sarah is an active SCBWI member who draws inspiration from her life in sunny Los Angeles with her husband/creative partner and dog/infamous escape artist, Peanut.  Look out for her first picture book coming out in Fall 2018!

You can find more of Sarah's musings and drawings here:
www.sarahmomoromero.com 
Facebook: Sarah Momo Romero + Instagram: @sarahmomoromero + Twitter: @sarahmomoromero ​

---