Gaspard and Lisa Friends Forever

The Gaspard and Lisa books have a charm that makes them stand out among children's books. My 4 year old loves them, and so do I. You immediately fall in love with the simple, adorable characters. The characters think and tell the story very much the way a small child would. I think "misadventures" is a good name, as they tell their tales, with a bit of the common "misbehaviors" of small children throughout, without the grown-up message-driven overtone of "this is what you OUGHT to do or think," but rather simply from a child's viewpoint of the types of thoughts a child is likely to experience in such a situation. This book portrays the two characters at first not getting along. Lisa is new to Gaspard's class, and Gaspard perhaps is driven a bit by jealousy, not liking everyone saying Lisa must be his sister because they look so much alike. But eventually they end up becoming friends when he discovers Lisa is good at (a sport I believe) and wants her on his team. Perhaps not the most noble of reasons (it is somewhat selfish, and he is not thinking so much about being nice to her because of what she is feeling) but they are very realistic types of thoughts and feelings that a young person experiences. And in the end it portrays a very sweet friendship developed in a very realistic manner. The paintings are a delightful compliment to the feel of the stories. It reminds me of how I feel when I read and look at the original A.A. Milne Winnie the Pooh books and illustrations. Simple, not overly done with detail, but just the right hint of something wonderful to set your imagination free.

I found this book adorable and enjoyable. I use it in story time quite a bit and the younger set loves it! Highly recommended.