Do you Want to Be My Friend? by Eric Carle (Harper Collins Publishers, 2005, Ages: 0-4, Paperback, $7.99)

Do you have a toddler beginning to read? Do You Want to Be My Friend? is a great book to teach English children books are read top to bottom. Sentences are read left to right. This colorful book stresses and reinforces this point.

A little mouse looks for a friend. (There is no text. You and the child ask, “Do you what to be my friend?” as you turn the pages.) The mouse meets many animals. There are a horse, alligator, lion, hippo and many more animals. Onward the determined mouse goes until he meets a friend.

An animal’s tail is always on the right hand page. The child has to turn the page to discover to what animal the tail belongs. The animal is on the left hand page. The next animal tail is on the right page. It’s owner is on the following left page. This creates a left to right pattern. Exactly what a beginning reader needs to learn.

Eric Carle does the illustrations, also. He uses broad brush strokes to create the animals.

This is a great picture book to reinforce reading left to right. And by using this method, the child will enjoy the surprise ending.



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