This illustrated picture book about loving books, baking and friendship by Blanca Gómez is fabulous. The illustrations are simple yet each page contains so much that each time you read it you’ll notice a new title on a book spine, a picture in a frame, the time on the clock. In this book two friends, Bookie and Cookie love to hang out together, but never at Bookie’s house/page. You see, Bookie lives on the left hand page and Cookie lives on the right hand page! The line: “I don’t like what I don’t know” is such an important conversation starter for kids – model thinking outloud with: “This makes me wonder if I have ever felt this way. Have you?” And start the conversation with kids about why we might be afraid of what we don’t know, and how we handle it.

This amazing friendship story is beautiful, real, and funny. My own children quote Bookie and Cookie often and get so excited when they see the very recognizable cover in stores and libraries around town.

If you want a great friendship story, beautiful art that gives Christian Robinson vibes, and a read aloud with great conversation starters, then this is the book for you.