My Best Friend by Mary Ann Rodman

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My Best Friend is published by by Puffin Book and the first publication was in 2005. It was written by Mary Ann Rodman and illustrated by E.B. Lewis. She was a former school media specialist and university librarian, is the author of First Grade Stinks! Yankee Girl, and My Best Friend. She has received both the Ezra Jack Keats Award for Outstanding New Picture Book Writer and the Charlotte Zolotow Award. [1]   

Summary

It's summertime at the neighborhood pool, and Lily has her best friend picked out: Tamika. But Tamika already has a best friend and doesn't care about Lily. No matter how hard Lily tries to impress Tamika from getting Mama to buy her a new bathing suit to having Daddy help her practice her dive and nothing works! [2]

Pros

Eunice as a verified reader rated five stars to this book. She wrote her detail opinion about this book, this is a story about friendship that every child can relate to. The book features Lewis' beautifully painted watercolor illustrations of African American characters. This book is appropriate for students in kindergarten until second grade. she would use this book as a read aloud for children in the younger grades to teach about friendship. She would also add it to her bookshelf for students to read independently, She has not yet come across a primary book that features realistically diverse illustrations of African American characters take for example the illustrations in "The Shortcut" by Donald Crews. This book will also serve as a mirror for little black girls who don the same hairstyles as the little girls in the book. Lilly has pressed hair which she wears in a half-up, half-down ponytail and Tamika wears cornrows going straight back with brightly colored barettes on the ends. This book got an Ezra Jack Keats award winner and has been reviewed by School Library Journal. [3]

Kirkus had been reviewed this book as well, it shown on the site, it written that Lewis fills his bright watercolor paintings with summer light that bounces off the water. Lily’s actions and emotions are the focus of each illustration, while the background is slightly blurred as if the reader is squinting in the sun. This book is lovely! [4] 

References