The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend
written and illustrated by Dan Santat
Age: 2+
Interests: friendship, imaginary friends, bravery, loneliness, shyness
Little, Brown: 2014
Picture Book, 40 pages
Also by this author: The Guild of Geniuses
Beekle is a lumpy little fellow who lives on an island where imaginary friends are created, all of them patiently waiting to be imagined by a real child. The days pass and many of the others disappear but still Beekle waits for his friend. He finally decides to do the unimaginable and sets sail, travelling to the Real World, where he finally finds his perfect match, a little girl named Alice.
In this book we can see all the imaginary friends that children dream up, and they certainly make the Real World seem drab and dull. This is a simple tale of new friends finding each other and facing a strange big world together. For anyone who might have an imaginary friend, or who has trouble making friends, Beekle is an endearing hero, brave and optimistic in his quest. Simple but vibrantly told, this is a lovely, gentle story of friendship and taking chances.
Rarest Kind of Best 