The Little Crooked Bookshelf

Best Frints in the Whole Universe 

by Antoinette Portis

This week's pick is from cottager Kara LaReau.

What it's all about

Yelfred and Omek have been best frints since they were little blobbies. But can their “frintship” survive life on planet Boborp, where teef are long and tempers are short?

Why it's on The Little Crooked Bookshelf…

This book delighted me when I caught a glimpse of it at ALAMW this year. Now that I’ve had the chance to take a closer look, I can’t recommend it highly enough. Antoinette Portis has created a funny, fresh tribute to the trials and tribulations of friendship. And as ever, her illustrations are out-of-this-world.

My favorite lines…

SO HARD TO CHOOSE. Here’s just a sampling, from a falling-out between Yelfred and Omek:

“YOU SCHMACKLED MY SPOSSIP, you double-dirt bleebo!”

“Go jump in the peedle pit! YOU ARE NOT MY FRINT!”

My favorite illustration…

Why kids will love it…

Hilarious illustrations and playful language; this book’s more fun than a game of “eyeball in the peedle pit.” (A Boborpian tradition, along with “eating a nice yunch” and sharing “blurfday gifts.”)

Why grown-ups will love it…

Underneath all the funny, this book offers a sweet lesson in how even the best friendships (and frintships) can hit rough patches and still be mended.