Barbara Cohen’s text is a warmhearted one all about the importance of friendship, about caring for your pets (and how they care for us), and about love in general. Dorothy Hall’s gorgeous line and watercolour illustrations really convey the joy in Skip and Petey’s face, and have lots of detail to point out, from the sausages at the end of Skip’s fork to the funny mermaid dog on the bathroom wall.
Reviewed by Magdalena Ball

Forever Friends
by Barbara S. Cohen
Illustrated by Dorothy Louise Hall
Smallfellow Press
Hardcover: 32 pages, March 1, 2002, ISBN: 1931290121

Forever Friends is a story with a dog for a narrator. Petey takes good care of his human friend Skip, helping him wake for school, walking him to the school bus, playing games with him, teaching him about nature, befriending the neighbours, helping him finish his food, cheering him, teaching him manners, and helping him sleep. Skip takes good care of Petey too, giving him a bath, water, and scratching his ears. It’s a great friendship.

Barbara Cohen’s text is a warmhearted one all about the importance of friendship, about caring for your pets (and how they care for us), and about love in general. Dorothy Hall’s gorgeous line and watercolour illustrations really convey the joy in Skip and Petey’s face, and have lots of detail to point out, from the sausages at the end of Skip’s fork to the funny mermaid dog on the bathroom wall. The colours are soft pastels enhanced by thick black outlines, and the very simple and gentle text will appeal to the very young (who will probably ask you for a dog after you read this to them if they don’t already have one!).

Older readers can read this book to their younger siblings, and younger children will enjoy joining in, especially the last line about being “forever friends.” This is a soft, heartwarming story which is short enough for the busiest parent to slip in before bedtime or in a quiet moment between play.