Max and Xam

by Ariane Hofmann-Maniyar, Ariane Hofmann-Maniyar (Illustrator)

Overview

Max and Xam are the very best of friends - until they fall out over who is more popular! Determined to prove the other wrong, their exploits bring new meaning to the phrase ‘making friends’. A hilarious and delightfully far-fetched story about the meaning and value of real friendship.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781786280879
Publisher:	Child's Play-International
Publication date:	05/15/2020
Series:	Child's Play Library
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,127,581
Product dimensions:	9.88(w) x 9.88(h) x 0.25(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Ariane has loved making up stories since she was little. She also loved illustrating them, preferably with markers on the wall. Now all grown-up, she lives her dream by illustrating and writing picture books for children big and small. The walls are definitely thankful for that! Ariane now lives with her three children, two cats and one husband in South London, where she comes up with new stories and occasionally paints on a wall.

Ariane has loved making up stories since she was little. She also loved illustrating them, preferably with markers on the wall. Now all grown-up, she lives her dream by illustrating and writing picture books for children big and small. The walls are definitely thankful for that! Ariane now lives with her three children, two cats and one husband in South London, where she comes up with new stories and occasionally paints on a wall.

Editorial Reviews

2020-03-15
Two little neighbors are best friends who love to play and do things together—until things change.

A tea-party disaster leads to blame, recrimination, and an end to their good times. Each claims to have lots of other friends, so they don’t really need each other. To prove this, each literally makes a bunch of creatively designed friends from found objects. But Max and Xam learn that there can be no fun with these inanimate friends, and they quickly realize how much they miss each other. Atonement gifts are exchanged, and happiness ensues. Hofmann-Maniyar employs straightforward, simple language, accessible to even the youngest readers or listeners. Literal-minded little readers will immediately get the delightful wordplay and take it to heart. The text, rarely more than one sentence per page, is carefully placed relative to the illustrations, with both the explosive argument and the final reconciliation shouted in huge, messy lettering. Minutely detailed illustrations in shades of blue and purple, with lots of white space interspersed, move and enhance the tale and provide lots of laughs and surprises. Bean-shaped Max and Xam, whose names do not indicate gender, are also of unknown species. Max is in blue fur with orange hands and feet. Xam is orange with rabbitlike ears and blue-clawed hands and feet. They both have stark white faces with flat, black features and pink-dot cheeks.

Clever fun carries a sweet feel-good message about real, true, loving friendships. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews