Quick Summary: A kid friendly learning experience about relationships

My Review: My Best Friend is a Goldfish authored by Mark Lee and illustrated by Chris Jevons was a brilliantly done book. With colorful adventures between a child and his human and animal/fish friends, readers learn about similarities and differences. They are creatively introduced to emotions, and they are invited to learn how to deal with them.

My Final Say: This would make an excellent library book club read aloud. It might also be helpful for a social skills group for younger kids who are learning about their feelings and how to express them. I would not hesitate to recommend this work.

Rating: 4/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: ES (ages 5 to 9)
Status: Family friendly
Level: G

Appreciation is extended to the author, to the publisher (Lerner Publishing Group, Carolrhoda Books), and to NetGalley. Thank you for granting access to this title in exchange for an honest review. The words I have shared are my own.

My Best Friend is a Goldfish by Mark Lee, with contributions from Chris Jevons, is currently scheduled for release on April 1 2018. After arguing with his best friend about which game to play, a boy decides its time to find a new best friend. So he tries to becoming friends with his dog, his cat, and his goldfish. He learns to eat on the floor with his dog, take naps with his cat, and watch the world from underwater with his goldfish. But none of these animals measure up to his true best friend, and he has to learn the very important lesson that being different from each other doesn't mean you can't still be the best of friends.

My Best Friend is a Goldfish is a fun story that show how two friends might not always agree, but they can still be best friends and enjoy each other's company. I like that the story is told equally through the illustrations and the text. It is in the illustrations that we see the boy and his friend playing, but not quite as happily as they had hoped. His journey of exploring the things he shares with his pets and how some things they both like, and others not so much. I enjoyed that it is a journey many kids could make, or have made, and not one that someone explained to him. I think this makes the lesson more accessible and acceptable to the young readers. I think the story is one that every one can relate to, and enjoy. It was a wonderful and fun read.

Best friends are great! Best friends enjoy all the same things, they play together all the time, and they always get along together! Or do they?

When a boy has an argument with his best friend, he goes in search of a new one only to realize that sometimes best friends may be a little different... and that's okay!

My Best Friend Is a Goldfish is a great read for young children both as just a fun story and as a story we can learn from. If you've got a child or children who fight with their friend and it's the end of the word, My Best Friend Is a Goldfish is a good story to highlight that we may have differences and disagreements, but that we can always be friends.

I liked that the main character had red hair and freckles! I also liked that “My Best Friend is a Goldfish” showed how important pets are to families. However, the continuity seemed off at some points and the lack of transitions confused me. It’s still cute, though!

The artwork was catchy but the story didn't quite do it for me. I do very much appreciate the message that occasionally we have to reevaluate our friendships in order to get the most out of them, but I'm not sure most kids will truly grasp this.
I received an advance reader copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

A young boy loves his best friend dearly. He quarrels with her about the game they are playing, gets angry and decides to dump her and go find a new one. He has had enough and surely there are others who would gladly take her place and appreciate him more.

He discovers that it's not quite as easy as he thinks. He turns to his pet dog, Murphy to fit the role. Although Murphy loves to sniff everything and scoffs his food at breakneck speed from his bowl on the floor he prefers his own canine friends as apposed to his pet human. No, Murphy isn't a good match.

The boy then moves on to his cat Gus, his hamster Hercules, and finally Fishy Robert, his goldfish. Nope, none of them fit the bill either. Put a line through their names... eliminated!

He reflects on perhaps a kid that he knows who moved to Brazil. Nooo! How about Captain Blastoff, the Space Pirate? Won't work! Or maybe his teddy? Don't think so. Rejection of all the above follow... oh my!! This is tough. Wherever shall he find a brand-new BFF that shares the things he loves and wants to spend time with him? Is it even possible to do or is he doomed to playing solitaire and living with a BFF called Loneliness forever and ever?

This book is about friendship and the value of appreciating and keeping a good friend. The illustrations are colourful, vibrant and extremely relatable to this age group. I really enjoyed the book and recommend it for sharing together thus sparking a conversation about the qualities of having and being a good friend and being very grateful for that special relationship.

A young boy thinks that friends have to enjoy the same things and never argue. When he and his best friend don't want to do the same thing, he heads off to find a new friend. After trying several animal friends, he is about to give up until his best friend comes over to play tag. He learns that friends do not always have to do the same thing, don't always play together and sometimes disagree, but they can still be friends. I see this all the time in school. Children crying and upset because their friend wants to play with someone else or play a different game. This would be a great story to teach this concept about friendship. A great book for families and primary classrooms.

This is a great story for kids learning about what makes a good friend and to help them realize that just because you have differences that doesn't mean you can't still be friends.

Delightful read! I know this book will appeal to my Young Readers! The story centers around an argument between 2 friends and the boy's search to try to replace that friend. He attempts to substitute it with the perfect animal friendship but realizes they can't quite replace the original one,
It will surely appeal to everyone because, undoubtedly, everyone will be able to relate to that exactt situation,

Our boy has some ideas on what a best friend is. It’s a person who enjoys doing the exact same thing, playing together all the time, and someone who you always get along. But after trying and failing multiple times to come up with a best friend, our boy may just have to redefine how he sees friendship. Overall a cute book with a cute message.