Stewart's Best Pen - Hardcover

K-Gr 3-This is no ordinary pen. First off, his name is Craig. Secondly, he is about three feet tall. And, most important, he is Stewart's best friend. They occasionally play pranks on each other. They do indeed argue, "But they are always there for each other." So you can imagine how devastated the boy is when Craig goes missing. Then an air mail envelope addressed to Stewart arrives from Japan. Apparently, Craig had fallen out of his school bag; a "nice boy named Tadashi" found him and took him to the airport and then home. So now, "They live very, very, very far apart.../but they still share everything with each other./And they are still best friends, but now they are also pen pals!" The engaging, well-chosen text pairs perfectly with the hilarious cartoon illustrations. Just as Stewart wears his red baseball cap backwards, Craig wears his blue pen cap turned around. The mischievous writing tool draws a mustache on his sleeping friend, who gets revenge by switching his blue cap with a dinosaur lampshade. This is a great read-aloud with lots of kid appeal and a strong message. VERDICT An excellent choice for units about friendship or pen pals as well as for some lighthearted bibliotherapy when a friend moves away.-Barbara Auerbach, formerly at New York City Public Schoolsα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.