Review by Booklist Review
Pip and Parker are best friends, though they possess different outlooks on life. Where Pip is easily discouraged, Parker sees the positive in the situation. A broken crayon? "Now we can both use yellow," Parker muses. Their toy boat is missing? "Let's make paper boats instead." This cheerful attitude clearly rubs off, for though rain threatens to wash out their plans, both Parker and Pip immediately recognize the joy to be found in puddle stomping, and the pair happily splash to their heart's content. Later, an accident that leaves even Parker at a loss for the silver lining gives Pip the chance to return the favor, and she finds a way to make her best friend feel better. The sweet story lets both friends shine, and young readers are sure to relate to both attitudes. The soft illustrations are a wonderful mishmash of mediums, including hand-cut rubber stamps and colored pencil, creating a cozy, creative world. A soothing study of the joy in buoying friendships and the importance of perspective.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Best friends Pip, portrayed with pale skin and straight black hair, and Parker, shown with brown skin, are so close that "sometimes they don't even need to speak." But when words are necessary, Parker has a gift for seeing any situation's bright side--the silver lining--and bringing the friends together. "Oh, no! My crayon broke!" says Pip. "It's ok, Pip," says Parker with a smile, taking one of the broken halves. "Now we can both use yellow." Their playtime is peppered with small mishaps--a strawberry dropped into lemonade, a missing toy boat--and Parker always knows what to say. The two make the most of wind by transitioning from paper boats to kites, embrace an incoming storm by looking for cloud shapes, and enjoy the rain's effects by stomping in puddles. And when it's Parker's turn to have something go wrong, it's Pip's turn to provide cheer. Mixed-media illustrations from Woodcock (Sunny-Side Up) feature pale colors and friendly, toylike figures; ample white space leaves room for the imagination. It's a book about mutual appreciation and support in which both characters model loving-kindness, confidence, and resilience in their own way. Ages 4--8. (Feb.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2--Pip and Parker are best friends. When something goes wrong--a crayon breaks in two, or a rogue strawberry falls into a glass of lemonade--Pip tends to become upset. But Parker always knows what to say: "Now we can both use yellow," or "Now we've got pink lemonade." As the two play the afternoon away, Parker finds a way to turn around one disappointing situation after another. At the end of the book, when Parker becomes upset over ruined drawings, Pip gets the chance to cheer up her friend for a change. Woodcock's soft color palette illustrates the friendship with gentleness, and the disappointments the friends face will be relatable to young readers. The well-written story, which uses symmetry to provide reinforcement in vocabulary and word placement, encourages readers to find hope when things don't go to plan, and reminds them that a good friend makes things better, even when they don't know what to say. Pip is drawn as white; Parker is Black. VERDICT A warm story of friendship and a tender addition to SEL shelves.--Lindsay Loup
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Review by Horn Book Review
The title page of this friendship story shows children Pip and Parker on a seesaw, with Parker appropriately on the up side: Pip is usually spiraling downward from a problem, while Parker helps her find a better way forward with an imaginative solution. If the crayon breaks, that means they can both use yellow at the same time. If a toy boat is lost, they can make paper boats instead. When the wind becomes too gusty for paper boats, Parker points out that it is perfect weather for kites. Throughout the day, Parker's ingenuity keeps Pip's mood aloft, even as the wind turns to clouds and rain. "'Look,' she said. 'The day is ruined.' Fortunately, Parker knew just what to say. 'Come with me, Pip. I've got an idea.' he said." Wispy art digitally combines soft textures created with hand-cut stamps, stencils, and mixed media. Warm and cool colors visually track the ever-changing emotional movement through the story, and well-placed pops of cheerful yellows harmonize the contrasts of Parker's tomato reds and Pip's cooler turquoise blues. In the end, an accidental spill ruins their artwork and threatens to dash Parker's resilient spirit, but Pip wordlessly and naturally slips into the optimist's role, comforting her friend and spinning the mishap into a new possibility (they float a paper boat on the puddle). The easy role exchange of supporter and supported between these two provides a tender example for growing friendships. (c) Copyright 2023. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Look on the bright side. Pip, a light-skinned girl, and Parker, a brown-skinned boy who lives in the building next door, are best pals who love doing stuff together; they're so attuned to each other that, often, they don't have to speak. Sometimes they do, though, because Pip gets upset when even small mishaps occur and she doesn't know what to do. Parker always sees the upsides--the "silver linings"--of worrisome situations and dreams up happy solutions. For instance, when Pip's yellow crayon breaks in two, Parker points out that the friends now both have yellow crayons. And when they can't locate their toy boat to sail in the park, Parker suggests making paper boats instead. And so it goes until a messy mishap occurs to Parker. Can Pip discover the silver lining this time? The bright side is…she can and does--sweetly, ingeniously, and wordlessly. This endearing tale doesn't say anything new about friendship and kindness, but it conveys these themes warmly and reassuringly and will be appreciated by young readers. The charming illustrations digitally combine artwork created with hand-cut rubber stamps, stencils, acrylic paint, colored pencils, and oil pastels. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A gentle lesson that being optimistic brings rewards, as does having a very good friend. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
