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"Toby's teasing can be tasteless-- / Taunting, tweaking tiny Tina. / Tadpoles in her tapioca! / Thumbtacks in her semolina!" begins Jeanne Steig's "Toby Twits Tina," in renowned anthologist Paul B. Janeczko's Very Best (Almost) Friends, a compact book of 24 diverse "poems of friendship" by well-loved contemporary authors. If Toby's antics don't sound too friendly, well, this unsentimental s... More

"Toby's teasing can be tasteless-- / Taunting, tweaking tiny Tina. / Tadpoles in her tapioca! / Thumbtacks in her semolina!" begins Jeanne Steig's "Toby Twits Tina," in renowned anthologist Paul B. Janeczko's Very Best (Almost) Friends, a compact book of 24 diverse "poems of friendship" by well-loved contemporary authors. If Toby's antics don't sound too friendly, well, this unsentimental selection isn't exactly Hallmark material. Colin McNaughton's "Another Poem to Send to Your Worst Enemy," for example, begins, "Dweeb, drip, softy, jerk, / Dope, sap, noodle, berk! / Fathead, bumpkin, duffer, mutt, / Loopy, potty, monkey nut!" and hurls goofy invectives through the last line. Other poems explore the complex nature of friendship. In Elizabeth Jennings's "Friends," she confesses, "I fear it's very wrong of me / And yet I must admit, / When someone offers friendship / I want the whole of it." The collection closes with Karla Kuskin's heartwarming poem "To You": "I think I could walk / through the simmering sand / if I held your hand. / I think I could swim / the skin shivering sea / if you would accompany me. / And run on ragged, windy heights, / climb rugged rocks / and walk on air. / I think I could do anything at all, / if you were there." Janeczko writes, "Friends are an important part of our lives, and I wanted to share with kids some of the delicious poems that celebrate this (almost) always wonderful experience." Showcasing poets from Nikki Grimes to Walter Dean Myers to Charlotte Zolotow, this well-designed collection--illustrated with the spirited, artful brushstrokes of Christine Davenier--is a winning introduction to various poetic styles, as well as an interesting perspective on the friendships that shape our lives. (Ages 8 and older) --Karin Snelson

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