Aalfred and Aalbert

by Morag Hood

Overview

A heartwarming story of blossoming friendship between two aardvarks who are very much opposites.

Aalfred and Aalbert lead solitary lives. Sometimes, Aalfred thinks he might like to be part of a pair, and sometimes Aalbert thinks he might like to be one of two.

But Aalfred sleeps all day, and Aalbert sleeps all night—so how will the two ever meet?

Luckily, someone helps them to cross paths in an unexpected way, and Aalfred and Aalbert find that they go together quite well!

This adorable story about two aardvarks and an unlikely matchmaker will appeal to LGBTQ+ families. Author-illustrator Morag Hood keeps children laughing with funny mishaps and entertaining, teachable moments about relationships.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781682631218
Publisher:	Peachtree Publishers, Ltd.
Publication date:	09/03/2019
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.90(w) x 8.70(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	430L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Morag Hood is a brilliant writer and illustrator of many titles such as When Grandad was a Penguin, Colin and Lee, and Carrot and Pea, which won the 2018 3-6 UKLA Book Award. She also studied Costume Design at Wimbledon College of Art and holds an MA in Children's Book Illustration from Cambridge School of Art. Along with making stories, she also enjoys printing, cutting and pasting, and freshly sharpened pencils, and she dreams of having a pet duck.

Editorial Reviews

09/16/2019

Opposites attract in Hood’s sweet and silly story of stumbling into companionship. Though Aardvarks Aalfred and Aalbert are similar-looking—Aalfred is rendered in friendly pink, and Aalbert, a delicate peach—the two have little in common. Aalfred sleeps during the day and enjoys “stars, broccoli, and picnics”; Aalbert sleeps at night and loves “flowers, sunshine, and cheese.” They are burrow neighbors and each sometimes think of becoming “part of a pair,” but due to schedule differences, they never meet. A small blue bird decides to play matchmaker, with humorously frustrating results, shown in Hood’s charming, bright gouache and digital art (a giant alarm clock fails to rouse one, and a trail of delectable broccoli remains unfollowed by the other). Just when the poor bird gives up, a sweet gesture by Aalfred leads to an accidental meeting between the two aardvarks, and a “happily ever aafter” ending—replete with broccoli-dipped cheese—ensues. An effective, gentle reminder that love is love. Ages 4–up. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"The simple, deadpan narrative shows flashes of laugh-out-loud moments. . . the steadfast resignation of the only-occasionally-lonely aardvarks and the bird's wordless but powerful expressiveness keep the story light, dry, and satisfying. A charming depiction of friendship and love." —Kirkus Reviews

"Sweet and silly. . . charming. . . An effective, gentle reminder that love is love." —Publishers Weekly

"Charming illustrations accompany this tale of finding friends. The story is told with great humor that will engage young readers. . . .a lovely book about finding a new friend. " —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

01/24/2020

PreS-Gr 3—Aalbert and Aalfred are aardvarks who live very close to each other but never have met. Aalfred loves the nighttime, while Aalbert loves the sunshine. Sometimes the aardvarks think it would be wonderful if they had a friend to play with; some activities, like playing on a seesaw or tennis, require more than one person. Most of the time, though, the aardvarks are content. Their bird friend thinks that it would be wonderful if the two aardvarks met. The bird tries all kinds of tricks to get Aalbert and Aalfred to meet, but nothing works. The bird becomes so sad that Aalfred decides to cheer him up. When he goes to help his bird friend, Aalfred falls down into Aalbert's burrow. Finally, they meet! Aalfred, Aalbert, and the bird live happily every "aafter." Charming illustrations accompany this tale of finding friends. The story is told with great humor that will engage young readers. VERDICT This is a lovely book about finding a new friend.—Nicole Detter-Smith, Homestead High School, IN

School Library Journal

2019-05-22
A little blue bird helps two aardvarks find each other.

Aalfred and Aalbert are aardvarks. Nocturnal Aalfred "love[s] stars, broccoli, and picnics" while diurnal Aalbert "love[s] flowers, sunshine, and cheese." Both solitary creatures are happy enough, but occasionally they each wish they had a companion. A perky, curious blue bird decides to play matchmaker, trying to get the two to meet, but each attempt—a nighttime alarm, a tangle of string connecting the two—fails to draw them together. Moved by the bird's despair (though ignorant of its cause), Aalfred tries to help—and when he tumbles into Aalbert's burrow by accident in his attempt, it's happily-ever-after from then on. The simple, deadpan narrative shows flashes of laugh-out-loud moments, as when Aalbert solemnly muses, "Will I have enough cheese?" while in a room crammed full of wedges and wheels, or when the unnamed bird stoically marches around with a broccoli hat (toward signs indicating "BROKOLI" and "BEST BROLOCI") in an attempt to bring the two together. Dramatic background colors, mostly blue and orange, help distinguish between the identically endearing pink aardvarks. In other hands, the sweetness of the plot could have tipped over into cloying, but the steadfast resignation of the only-occasionally-lonely aardvarks and the bird's wordless but powerful expressiveness keep the story light, dry, and satisfying.

A charming depiction of friendship and love. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews