Best Friends for Frances

You can't go wrong with a Russell Hoban Frances book for young children. The text deals with everyday problems small kids face.

This is a great story about being kind to your sister. We see a good lesson that your sister can be your best friend too. I loved Frances books as a kid and I am so happy that my children love them as well.

Another great book from the Frances series by Russell Hoban. In this episode, Frances's friend Albert is not very interested in playing with her, especially because she is a girl, so Frances turns to her sister Gloria for a playmate. When Frances and Gloria plan a "best friends" outing complete with an enormous picnic lunch, Albert reconsiders the wisdom of not being friends with girls. I like this one both for the positive development of the sometimes-difficult relationship between Frances and her little sister Gloria, but also for the portrayal of girls who like to play baseball and catch frogs.

My family is fairly unanimous that this is our favorite Frances book (with "A Birthday For Frances" the likely runner up.) Frances both stands up to being excluded and learns not to do the same thing herself; her anger at Albert is realistic and her "revenge" funny but not cruel; and everyone resolves their conflicts in a friendly way. The wording of the exchanges between Frances and Albert is exquisitely well done, I think: Hoban expresses such nuances in language that gets through to even small children. And last but not least, Frances's little songs are always hilarious and this book has some of the best ones of all, which my 2-year-old daughter has learned by heart.

As a child, the "Frances" books were my absolute favorites. My sister would read them to me when I was too little to read for myself. The humerous stories of home life and the gentle illustrations still evoke feelings of great comfort. Now I am buying the series for the children of friends. Many thanks to the Hobans for all of the fond memories they have given me!