Below is a wonderful review by UK academic and teacher Mathew Tobin of our new book by Olivier Tallec, Red Snake Blue Snake.
I couldn’t ask for a better reading of this book that we chose for its bright story of how opposite points of view can be equally true (and the very funny body language of two snakes). What better time in the world to acknowledge that we can hold different opinions but still slither along side by side.
“We often celebrate compromise, but Olivier Tallec offers something gentler. Neither snake abandons their own way of seeing. Instead, each quietly makes room for the other’s. No one wins; the friendship does.
“I also love how Tallec keeps us at arm’s length. We aren’t asked to choose sides or decide who is ‘right.’ We simply observe two lifelong friends whose differences have become part of the rhythm of their relationship.
“By the final pages, Red already knows what Blue will say before Blue says it. That tiny pause reveals something rather beautiful: they understand one another more deeply than they understand the things they are looking at.”
Here are some more good picture books to expand the notion that friendship must be based on a shared view of the world.
Two snakes out for a day’s slither in the countryside find there’s more than one way to see the world in this oversize picture book about the pleasure of a day spent with a friend, even if you agree on nothing.
“Time and again, Gecko publishes books that trust children with complexity rather than certainty. Red Snake Blue Snake never asks its friends to become more alike. Instead, it quietly shows that a lifetime of paying attention to another person can make difference itself a form of intimacy.” — Mat Tobin
In this witty, warm story about sharing, arguing, and being outwitted. two friends share three mushrooms in their forest kitchen . . . who will get the extra one?
“A wonderfully witty picture book about friendship and sharing.”
— CLPE core book choice (Centre for Literacy in Primary Education)
“Sharing is well-trodden territory, but Mühle’s take is full of woodsy charm.” — Publishers Weekly
Snake and Lizard want to write their names on their burrow’s front door. But whose name will go first? This warm and wise picture book captures the essence of friendship and nudges us to notice the power of our words.
“The author delivers a charming tale of friendship, humor, and the fine balance of living together . . . This book is a perfect read-aloud and is excellent for the classroom, teaching readers the value of kindness through humor.” — School Library Journal
A picture book in which flaps and die-cuts tell the story of a dog and cat fed up with living side by side who build a wall between them—until a new friend and a new idea bring it tumbling joyfully down.
“Perrin’s illustrations are bursting with energy, and the flaps invite curious readers to look closer, reconsider, and reframe the story — a brilliant prompt for conversations about perspective, conflict, and empathy.” — Mathew Tobin
“Form and function meld with fun and whimsy in a tale of the futility of building walls.” — Kirkus Reviews
Illustration © Olivier Tallec from Red Snake Blue Snake