have your friends and eat cake too

Otis and Peanut are unlikely friends. One is a long-haired guinea pig, and the other is a naked mole rat. But when Peanut baked a cake with Otis’s favorite frosting, there was no one else he wanted to share it with. But Otis was concerned about eating a cake without a reason. It should be a celebration, right? Or, as Peanut offered, was the existence of the cake enough reason to celebrate? It takes a clever solution to figure out the right answer to that question and let the friends eat the cake.

Peanut lost a friend, but when he went to his gardening supplies, he found some seeds that his friend had left him. He plants the seeds and reads a book on the porch, falling asleep thinking about his friend. He has a dream about her, about how they used to play under the sprinkler together. And while Peanut misses her, he gets out the hose and the sprinkler to water his newly planted seeds, he also gets suited up to play in the water by himself. But as the water runs, it makes a rainbow to remind Peanut that he’s not alone.

The next time Peanut goes to visit Otis, Otis is looking through his scrapbooks of memories. Peanut asks about them, and Otis explains that he likes to keep his memories in books, with photos or mementos to remember his best times. Peanut decides that’s a good idea too and collects some of his best memories together. But he doesn’t have many memories in his box. So he and Otis go out and make new memories that Peanut can add, and they have a great day together to remember forever and ever.

Forever and Ever, the second collection f stories about these sweet friends is full of kindness, warmth, and empathy. The friends share their joys and sadness, showing young readers that how to build the foundation of a strong friendship whole still being themselves. Author Naseem Hrab and illustrator Kelly Collier join together tender stories and charming illustrations combine in a collection of heart-warming stories reminiscent of Frog and Toad.

I love the Otis and Peanut stories. While I haven’t been a kid for many years now, I read these books and they remind of some of the books I loved as a child. I read these stories, I look at the illustrations, and they just bring me joy. There is a depth to this friendship that feels so genuine, I hope that all the young readers are able to find friends just like these two to share memories and cake with.

Egalleys for Otis & Peanut: Forever and Ever were provided by Owlkids Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.