Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley are friends.  Really great friends.  This is a story about friendship and despite the differences between them, they appreciate the differences in each other.  I discovered this book at the end of last year while browsing in the bookshop where my son works and I simply had to buy it.  I don’t have small children, but the illustrations and the simple story drew me in and I wanted to share it with others.  This book by Aaron Blabey is a gem.

Friendships are a rich blessing indeed.  My husband gave a talk on friendship: “wisdom in friendship” from the book of Proverbs on the weekend.  I read this book aloud to the group and watched as this group of men and women engaged with the story, they laughed, they responded, they appreciated.  Who ever said that a picture book is just for children?  This book has a simple message that is profound – finding a friend is special and what makes that friendship so special can be surprising and unexpected.

I love these verses about friendship from Proverbs:

• “A friend loves at all times”.  17:17
• “Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice.”  27:9
• “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another”. 27:17