Can We Be Friends

Can We Be Friends? Unexpected Animal Friendships from Around the World
Words and art by Erica Sirotich
Published 2020

Can We Be Friends is cute and fun, and also 100% non-fiction!
Told in a mix of rhymes and side block text, it is informative while still keeping young readers engaged.

There’s 8 lines of rhyme on a full page spread that introduces the unexpected friends. That is followed by another page spread that includes more detail on where they live and how and why they’re a pair.
Among others, we get to learn about turtle and hippo buds and a dolphin/dog duo that love to swim together.

Maybe it was growing up with let’s read and find out books, but I have a soft spot for narrative non-fiction at this level. There’s onomatopoeia and bouncy rhymes and gotta-turn-the-page bits of tension to learn about each friend pair. And each page is great to look at, the art captures of the joy of friendship that the animals share – it makes you want to smile.

This is definitely a book that does double duty. It works just as well as a snuggly story time book as it does for an animal study for K-3rd.