A Friendship Yarn

Porcupine and Badger are dear friends and well-acquainted neighbors who meet under the comfort of a towering walnut each morning for a cup of tea. They decide they must go into the woods and gather firewood, as the winter is quickly approaching and their supply is short. They each travel in a different direction to begin the quest and discover that a nearby peddler has dropped a ball of bright red yarn. In his haste, he bellows that it is theirs to keep. Porcupine is far enough away by then that she finds one end of the unraveled ball of crimson yarn, while Badger retrieves the other. Each swiftly returns home in search of knitting needles so that a special project can be started for the other. Later, in a twist of unsavory fate, Porcupine abruptly confronts Badger, claiming the ball of yarn is indeed hers, not his. Badger, of course, purports she is mistaken. The once close comrades resolve to go their separate ways. However, in the end, an act of sheer spontaneity on Porcupine’s part, as well as the healing essence of time, allow their sacred friendship to be rekindled at last.

This is an adorable, and at times hilarious, book about friendship, conflict, resolution, and forgiveness. It’s filled with precious pictures that tell a thousand words and touch the reader’s heart with fondness. It’s also laced with humorous punch lines that are apt to brighten even the darkest of moods. As Porcupine runs into Badger, she responds in part by saying, “Well, polish my silver,” and as Badger declares that the yarn was intended for him to keep, a disgruntled Porcupine says, “Well flatten my cake! You’re wrong.” She has the most unique sayings. Fun, repetitive language like “clickety-click, snickety-snick. Floop. Floop. Floop-floop-floop” is also lavishly sprinkled throughout A Friendship Yarnand is likely to appeal to little ones. Though the text is approximately at a third grade reading level, it is sure to capture the intrigue of children of many ages (and, namely, those between kindergarten and third grade). Children who enjoy it most may be excited to learn that the author, Lisa Moser, has impressively published 10 children’s books, with this one being the most recent. Others of interest are Stories from Bug Garden and Squirrel’s World.