Forsythia and Me

Forsythia and Me
Vincent X. Kirsch
2011

My kids and I really enjoyed this serendipitous checkout. I had no pre-conceptions, no reviews telling me "Check this out!"--just picked it up off the new book shelf because the name piqued my interest.

Forsythia and Chester are best friends--Forsythia can do everything well. By that, I mean everything: circus performances, ice skating, baking, portrait painting, etc. She also has a unique style and, of course, a unique name.

But one day, Forsythia gets sick and must stay in bed. Chester rises to the occasion: he plays his accordion for her with only 13 mistakes, picks a bouquet of... you guessed it... forsythia for her, and cheers her up in general.



This story of two friends celebrates each person's uniqueness and the way the two friends complement each other. A gentle reminder that the one who can do it all still needs the friendship of the one who can't; sometimes there are more important things in life.

One of the things that impressed me most about this book was the illustrations--particularly the use of color. The book is predominantly black and white with bold splashes of color for Forsythia and Chester. Forsythia and all her actions get yellow (exactly the hue of a forsythia bloom, of course!) while Chester gets blue. Some of Forsythia's clothes have other splashes of color if I remember right, but the blue and and yellow are prominent.

Recommended read aloud to preschool and up