Billy and Rose: Just the Way They Are: Candlewick Sparks

by Amy Hest, Kady MacDonald Denton (Illustrator)

Overview

Billy and Rose are prone to serious discussion in their second outing about the ups and downs of negotiating friendship.

The diligent sheep and the mellow pig who debuted in Billy and Rose: Forever Friends are back—and they have strong opinions! Even best friends can disagree, whether the topic is books (tall blue books versus fat red ones), rain (will it or won’t it?), the perils of a bad hair day (should Rose concur that Billy is having one?), or the incendiary question of which flavor of cupcake is best. Sharing—books and a purple umbrella, compliments and cupcakes (two flavors)—is the antidote to seriousness in this second set of four witty stories to feature the endearing pair. Kady MacDonald Denton’s warm and spirited illustrations complement Amy Hest’s gentle study of friends as they debate the important issues of the day—and reap the rewards of compromise.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781536235173
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	04/30/2024
Series:	Candlewick Sparks Series
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.19(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Amy Hest is the author of many books for young readers, including Billy and Rose: Forever Friends, The Summer We Found the Baby, Remembering Mrs. Rossi, and Letters to Leo. She is also the author of many picture books, including Kiss Good Night, When Jessie Came Across the Sea, On the Night of the Shooting Star, Buster and the Baby, and Are You Sure, Mother Bear? Amy Hest lives in New York City.

Kady MacDonald Denton is the illustrator of numerous books for children, including Billy and Rose: Forever Friends, the Bear and Mouse books by Bonny Becker, and Two Homes by Claire Masurel. Kady MacDonald Denton lives in Ontario.

Editorial Reviews

Beginning readers who enjoyed Billy and Rose: Forever Friends (2022) will welcome this equally charming sequel. Written with the simplicity of empathy, it makes the point that friends may not agree on everything, as long as they care about each other. Denton's gentle ink-and-watercolor illustrations portray Billy and Rose with soft, spring colors and the graceful, expressive positions and movements of dancers. A beguiling choice for beginning readers.
—Booklist

Gentle words and fluid watercolor-and-ink illustrations remind readers how special friendship is. . . . Patterns within the stories will help early readers break into reading. . . but what stands out is how Billy and Rose clearly and calmly verbalize their opinions and model sharing, compromise, acceptance, and respecting individual differences. . . . A treasure trove of social-emotional skills.
—Kirkus Reviews

Charming illustrations are the perfect accompaniment to ‘Billy & Rose: Just the Way They Are’ — a delightful story of friendship and how differences are not a barrier to getting along with one another.
—The Reading Eagle

From the Publisher

02/02/2024

PreS-Gr 2—Billy the sheep and Rose the pig don't seem to have much in common, but they like to have "serious discussions" about the important things in life. In the second installment of this sweet series (after Billy and Rose: Forever Friends), the subjects of their discussions are "Books," "Hair," "Rain," and "Cupcakes," which happen to be the chapter names laid out on the contents page. Although they each have strong differing opinions (Billy prefers tall blue books and Rose prefers fat red books), they're both accepting of their differences and their friendship blossoms with compromise. The chapters are more like vignettes and can be read as stand-alone stories. The text is interspersed with watercolor-and-ink pictures on every page, making it the perfect bridge between early reader and beginning chapter book. VERDICT A calm meditation on the joys of working things out, perfect for a burgeoning reader or as a sweet read-aloud for caregiver and child, sure to enforce early elementary social-emotional skills.—Carrie Voliva

School Library Journal

2023-09-09
Gentle words and fluid watercolor-and-ink illustrations remind readers how special friendship is.

Four short vignettes feature Billy, a curly-haired sheep, and Rose, a pig. The pair don’t seem to agree on anything, except that they are friends. Billy prefers tall blue books, while Rose insists fat red books are best, but both get caught up in the stories and enjoy reading and rereading together. Billy and Rose disagree about whether it will rain, but when a downpour begins, both embrace the joy of walking in the rain together. When Billy thinks he’s having a bad hair day, Rose agrees that his assessment is correct but reassures him that she likes him even when his hair sticks up. Neither Billy nor Rose is having a birthday, but their disagreement over what constitutes the perfect cupcake threatens to end their friendship—until they separate and reflect before coming together again. Patterns within the stories will help early readers break into reading (for example, each story begins with “Billy and Rose are having a serious discussion. The subject is…”), but what stands out is how Billy and Rose clearly and calmly verbalize their opinions and model sharing, compromise, acceptance, and respecting individual differences.

A treasure trove of social-emotional skills. (Early chapter book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews