“Fran’s Friend” by Lisa Bruce is a darling children’s picture book with illustrations that are so cute, they’ll grab your eye right away.
Fred is Fran’s little dog. On this particular day, he wants Fran to come and play with him, but she’s got other things on her mind. She’s decided to pull out her crayons and draw instead. Fred offers to help, and she sends him off to find some paper.
He brings back the newspaper, but that’s not what she wants. She finds a piece for herself, and cuts out big pretty white snowflakes. Fred wants to help, so she sends him for a brush.
He brings back a hair brush. That’s not really what she needs. She finds a paintbrush and begins to paint, her water making splish-splashes all over the place. She’s going to make something very special, she tells Fred.
Fred, meanwhile, is getting bored. It’s such a nice, blustery fall day outside, and he’d much rather be out playing in the leaves. He brings Fran his leash, but she’s still too busy. She’s making something special, for her best friend.
This makes Fred worry. He thought he was her best friend—was he wrong? He sits down by Fran’s feet, not caring about the paint drops that are falling on him. She won’t play with him, and he’s not her best friend. Suddenly he doesn’t feel like playing any more.
When Fran does finally get up, it’s to grab one more thing for her project. Fred curls up to take a nap, not even caring what Fran is up to.
When she finally finishes her picture, she brings it to Fred. Surprise – she made the picture just for him! He’s the happiest dog in all the world. Fran loves him, and now she wants to play with him. It just doesn’t get any better than that.
(This book was published by Bloomsbury in 2003 and was illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw.)
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