Show and Tell: 4 Picture Books About Friendship
Overcoming shyness and isolation via notes, pictures and a pine cone.
By Sarah Harrison Smith
By Sandra Salsbury
By Jane Porter
FROM ARCHIE TO ZACK
From “Best Friend in the Whole World.”Credit.Sandra Salsbury
Who is the “Best Friend in the Whole World”? Could it be a pine cone? Seen in Sandra Salsbury’s velvet-hued watercolors, these seed pods have character. Some are spiky. Some look as if they’re doing the twist, or wearing tall, thatched hats. But friendship with a pine cone seems like … a one-way kind of thing.
Roland doesn’t notice. “A quiet life of drawing, and music, and drinking tea” has left this well-dressed young rabbit desperate for company. Sometimes he walks in the woods “hoping, just maybe,” to find a friend. Compared with the sequoia-like trees that tower over him, Roland is very small, and utterly alone. Hence the pine cone. Roland gives it a name and keeps it with him while he draws more
Top 10 Creepy Creatures That Might Exist
Our legends and histories are filled with mysterious cryptids and terrifying beasts, some of which actually existed. But more often than not, these tales of creepy creatures are just that: tales; imagined beings meant to satisfy a story. Yet, not all farfetched monsters are hoaxes, and there’s enough evidence to suggest that they roam among us. Here are the top 10 creepy creatures that might exist.
10 Dobhar-chú
The Dobhar-chu is a terrifying cryptid with origins in Ireland. Also called the water hound or King Otter, it is a half-dog, half-fish hybrid but is five times larger than a typical otter. It can swim and also run on land, supposedly as fast as a running horse. The Dobhar-chu hunts in groups or pairs and will chase its prey through water and onto land.