Best Buddies

by Lynn Plourde, Arthur Lin (Illustrator)

Overview

Best Buddies introduces a boy-and-dog duo who are BEST FRIENDS and who do EVERYTHING together! So how will they manage being apart when the boy heads to school for the first time? Find out how a clever boy with Down syndrome and his loyal pet find the perfect way to feel close even when they can’t be together. A sweet, inspiring story that will ease concerns about the first day of school and other big changes for kids.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781684461431
Publisher:	Capstone
Publication date:	08/15/2021
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,069,757
Product dimensions:	8.30(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD500L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Lynn Plourde is the author of forty children’s books including her newest The Boy Whose Face Froze Like That. Some of Lynn’s other titles include Pigs in the Mud in the Middle of the Rud, Wild Child, and her middle grade novel Maxi’s Secrets (or what you can learn from a dog), inspired by her best buddy, Maggie. Lynn does many author visits to schools each year during which she teaches students how to write their own stories. Before becoming a fulltime author, she worked for 21 years as a speech-language therapist in public schools, including working with many students with Down Syndrome. Lynn lives with her husband in Winthrop, Maine, where she enjoys going for walks, gardening, reading, and playing with her young grandson. Visit her at www.lynnplourde.com.

Arthur Lin is an artist based in San Francisco, drawn by the storytelling of Sunday comics and various children’s books. He received his master’s degree in illustration in 2010 and has been drawing books ever since. As a brand-new father, he was fortunate to capture the funny interactions between his newborn and dog, which provided a lot of inspiration for this story. Although they don’t always get along, they are already best buddies!

Interviews

Perfect for back-to-school or starting school for the first time;

Editorial Reviews

06/28/2021

Former speech therapist Plourde, who worked with students with Down syndrome, pens this narrative centering the best friendship between an unnamed boy who, the back cover notes, has Down syndrome, and his basset hound, exploring what happens when the duo must adjust to the child attending school for the first time. Tracing the pair’s relationship to its start—when the sandy-haired, light-skinned boy was brought home from the hospital—in simple prose, Plourde follows them through road trips, beach vacations, weddings, and more, establishing their bond: “Like cake and frosting, the best buddies/ always stuck together.” Lin paints charming vignettes of family life, featuring cheery animation-style characters viewed through a nostalgic lens. This endearing portrait of human-canine closeness illustrates a creative solution for those instructed to leave animal buddies at home. Ages 3–5. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly