My Friends/Mis Amigos

By Taro Gomi

A little girl experiences the many gifts of friendship in this edition of the colorful children’s book presented simultaneously English and Spanish.

Vibrant illustrations and a simple, rhythmic text are perfectly blended in this spirited homage to friendship as a little girl recounts all the things she has learned from an enchanting menagerie of animal friends: “I learned to run from my friend the horse. I learned to sing from my friends the birds. I learned to read from my friends the books. And I learned to love from a friend like you.”

The bold graphic design and brightly colored illustrations that have become the trademark of Taro Gomi’s work will appeal to both children and adults.

Praise for My Friends

“In this ode to everyday activities and things, a free-spirited girl hops, jumps and kicks her way across the countryside, paying homage to her friends along the way. . . . Gomi’s meticulous sense of design and careful use of brilliantly colored, highly delineated images imbues the story with a sense of the wonder and delight to be derived from life’s simplest—but bountiful—moments.” —Publishers Weekly

“A little girl recites all the pleasurable things she has learned from her friends. . . . including such meaningful things as reading and studying and, most importantly, loving. . . . An elemental story that will reach toddlers and older preschoolers alike.” —Booklist

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Sep 14, 2012
• ISBN: 9781452122595

Taro Gomi

Taro Gomi is a well-known author and illustrator who has created more than 400 books and products for readers of all ages, including Bus Stops, My Friends, Spring is Here, Little Truck, Little Plane, and Taro Gomi’s Funny Fish: Go Fish Card Game, as well as Junior Library selections I Know Numbers! and The Crocodile and the Dentist. He lives in Tokyo, Japan.

Book preview

Reviews for My Friends/Mis Amigos

[jfe16 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

From my friends I learned to walk, jump, climb, run, and march. I learned to nap, to smell the flowers, to hide, to explore the earth, to kick, sing, and watch the night sky. What else did I learn from my friends?=========Charming illustrations accompany the simple text, printed in large type to encourage young readers to read independently. Simple words, picture clues, and repetition all work together for successful independent reading.Celebrating the world around the child, and finding friends in many places, give this picture book a sense of awe and wonder that shows the child the value in appreciating the simple, the every day, the connectedness of the world around them.Highly recommended.

[meditationesmartini · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Bruce McCormack talks about the dude he met in LA who lived in Japan for like thirty years and when Bruce McCormack asked him what he thought he was like "Beautiful country. Nice people," and that was that and it was so zen, actually shizen, expressed simply and without pretense. That's Taro Gomi. Here is a girl thanking her friends (the aminals, her teachers, her classmates) for all the things they have taught her. She is sincere (seijitsu ni) and the pictures are lovely (kawaii, of course).

[my624persona · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A girl shows us what she has learned and who she learned it from--her friends, the animals!The pictures in this book make great use of contrast, with enough complexity in them to keep toddlers and preschoolers engaged, without overstimulating. We see the unnamed main character's expressions on her face as she goes about her day-- kicking, running, watching the night sky. There's a lot going on in the pictures, and less in the text, which is exactly how a board book should be. The illustrations are mostly full of dark and neutral colors, so the bright pink of the main character's dress and some flowers are shockingly brigh tby comparison. Analysis aside, the kids are gonna love seeing the animals.

[dchaikin_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A little girl tells us things she's learned from various animals, and eventually from books, teachers, other children and you. The text is simple, but meaningful. It's a very pretty book, and very well done. Perfect for the 2-4-yr-old. My 4-yr-old seems to like it because it's pretty and she likes the little girl.