Friendship Space -- Picture Book Review Blog

Cynthia Centerbar
Jun 7
1 min read

BETWEEN YOU AND ME, a lyrical poem by Rob Sanders, interpreted by Raissa Figueroa's art, tenderly depicts the beginning of a new friendship, and beautifully shows its evolution over time.

Characters: Two young, culturally different children

Themes: Stranger danger, friendship

Conflict: The fear of the unknown, and that comes with change

Plot: A young child's neighbor sells their home, and a new neighbor moves in. The new neighbor is a child of the same age, but from a different cultural background.

The children introduce themselves. Through imaginative play and a few mishaps, they discover their common bond.

Their friendship evolves and the story ends with their sleepover-close friendship.

Perspective: First-person, poetic narrator

Setting: A suburban neighborhood and the children's imagined places-outer space

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