This is a simple and sweet story. One friend needs help and seeks another friend. But they want/need something else and seek another friend. It builds from there, and then unwinds in the opposite direction. It just works. It can be a bit wordy, but that isn’t really noticed. The illustrations are nice and not typical of picture books adding to the joy of the story.

Raccoon is bored and decides to cheer himself up by baking an apple cake, but he's out of eggs. He remembers his friend Fox has eggs and heads to her house, but when he gets there, she needs a favor too. And so they set out on their errand, which turns into another trip, then another, and another! A merry band of friends is eventually assembled and they, quite unintentionally, wind up having a lovely day together.

This is a sweet, quiet book with a nice message about unexpected joys and finding pleasure in small things. The friends all had things to do, but found that they had the best time sharing the day together and helping each other out. The illustrations enhance the story nicely and have lots of fun details for readers to pick out. This would be a nice quiet-time read for preschool and early elementary.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

This sweet picture book starts off with raccoon who is feeling bored and progressively adds more of raccoon's friends as the day goes on. Quickly raccoon and his friends are no longer bored as they have found many fun things to do such as swimming, fishing, and rock climbing. By the end of the day the friends have enjoyed each other's company and remark on what a perfect wonderful day it was. It is a nice, simple story that is easy to follow and emphasizes the importance of spending time with friends and curing boredom by "doing things". It is beautifully illustrated and I can definitely see it being a nice book choice for parents or teachers of children in the age 3-8 range. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this book!

NetGalley ARC
Read Aloud? Yes - great for multiple voices
Tags: friendship, helpfulness, animals, resourcefulness, boredom

This charming book by Philip Waechter is a great choice for storytime. Animal characters join together to cure Raccoon's boredom and a host of other problems they encounter. The readers are left to solve the one problem not addressed in the wrap-up: Badger's crossword answer! Great fun.

This delightful book will warm hearts as kids become part of a beautiful summer's day shared with five animals friends. Racoon is bored and decides to bake his favourite apple cake which he believes will dissipate his boredom. He discovers he's fresh out of eggs. Oh no! His friend Fox owns chickens so off he goes to borrow some eggs from her. When he arrives Fox is hard at work repairing a leaky roof but is having a difficult time reaching it. Raccoon suggests they go to Badger's house to borrow his ladder which will hopefully solve Fox's problem.

Badger needs help too solving a crossword puzzle so the three friends set off to find Bear. Along the way the trio encounter crow and the friends manage to have a delicious snack of blackberries en route.

They find Bear fishing alone by the river. Unfortunately the fish aren't biting... not even a nibble. Never letting a moment go to waste the five friends decide to dive into the river and have a blast. Swimming together is so much fun and it feels great to cool off on this hot muggy day. After a lovely swim they dry out basking in the sunlight and as evening approaches they head off for home.

The friends help Fox mend her roof using Badger's ladder then they gather some eggs from her chicken coup to bake that mouth-watering apple cake that Raccoon will provide. Raccoon doesn't bake just one cake but TWO CAKES. One cake is for Fox, Raccoon, Badger and Crow to share. Lucky Bear gets his very own cake. Can you guess why?

This heartwarming book is about friendship, teamwork and the fun five friends have as they interact together throughout a magical summer's day. The illustrations are fantastic and I must admit my favourite style. They are beautifully detailed and work perfectly with the storyline. I love the book and highly recommend "A Perfect Wonderful Day with Friends".

Raccoon is lonely and decides to visit a friend. One by one the group gathers together and spends the day having fun. This is a cute book showing kids how important friends are. Being with friends can brighten our day and the more the merrier.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I enjoyed reading this with my child. He liked the different animals and what they were doing together as friends, and I liked the story and how it all came together. Raccoon wants something to do, and in his quest to get the things he needs to bake a pie, ends up having a nice day with his friends.