You Are My Best Friend

by Tatsuya Miyanishi

Overview

Once upon a time a violent, mean, selfish Tyrannosaurus roamed the land, and all the other animals feared him. One day, while chasing other animals, the Tyrannosaurus falls into the ocean. The Elasmosaurus, who lives in the sea, saves his life, and the Tyrannosaurus says "thank you" for the very first time. From that day, the land creature and the sea creature become best friends. The author, Tatsuya Miyanishi, delivers a heartwarming story about friendship with vivid, brightly colored illustrations and endearingly drawn characters. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781940842349
Publisher:	Museyon
Publication date:	07/01/2019
Series:	Tyrannosaurus Series
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 10.50(h) x 0.20(d)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Born in 1956, Tatsuya Miyanishi graduated from the Nihon University College of Art and was a doll artist and graphic designer before becoming a picture-book author. Miyanishi's books have a passionate fan base of all ages that enjoys his range of endearing characters in many genres, from superheroes to dinosaurs, all illustrated with bright colors. He has won the Kodansha Cultural Award for Picture Books, as well as the Kenbuchi Picture Book Grand Prize.

Editorial Reviews

"The book addresses many matters related to social interactions through this moving tale and is thus an ideal classroom read-aloud! The simple story structure with it's fresh and divergent illustrations can easily capture children's attention." —Methmini Costa, picksandreadsforkids.com


"The story of being so much happier once you start being nice and have a friend in your life make the book worth reading to your children." —Lilyn George, scifiandscary.com


"Once again, as in You look yummy!, Tatsuya Miyanishi proposes a different way too see a situation. In this case he puts forward the idea of how caring about the bully is also a way to stop bullying . . . I'm already looking forward to future titles in this series." —Sandra Lema, san.booklikes.com


"Parents will enjoy the dinosaur’s uncanny resemblance to Godzilla and may even learn a thing or two about prehistoric creatures. Don’t worry, your kids won’t have a clue if you don’t pronounce them correctly—they’ll be too enthralled with the captivating story and dramatic images." —Heather Wilson Tomoyasu, JQ Magazine


"Mr. Miyanishi writes very nice picture books for little ones. The illustrations are colorful, there's a lesson in the story, and they're quickly read. They would work well for bedtime stories." —Jo Ann Hakola, Journey of a Bookseller


"You Are My Best Friend is a wonderful story of friendship... There are some great messages to be found here, like the realization that you can change your behavior, and that friends will accept you if you are kind to them.I would absolutely recommend You Are My Best Friend." —Maureen L., HandsFullMama


"Mr. Miyanishi writes very nice picture books for little ones. The illustrations are colorful, there's a lesson in the story, and they're quickly read. They would work well for bedtime stories." —Jo Ann Hakola, bkfaerie.blogspot.com


"You Are My Best Friend is a wonderful story of friendship... There are some great messages to be found here, like the realization that you can change your behavior, and that friends will accept you if you are kind to them.I would absolutely recommend You Are My Best Friend." —Maureen L, handsfullmama.com

From the Publisher

08/01/2016
K-Gr 2—In a prehistoric world, there is a "mean and fierce, nasty and selfish" Tyrannosaurus. While terrorizing a herd of small Styracosauruses, the Tyrannosaurus falls off a cliff into the ocean. Saved from drowning by a gentle and gigantic Elasmosaurus, the Tyrannosaurus lies about his true identity to his new friend. From that time on the two dinosaurs do everything together. The story reaches a climax when the Elasmosaurus is wounded by an ocean bully. The devastated Tyrannosaurus pours his heart out to his unconscious friend. Happily, the Elasmosaurus recovers and the two vow to be together "forever and ever." Originally published in Japan in 2004, this friendship story has a strong antibullying message tempered by bold illustrations and a fablelike narrative. The flat illustrations use thick black lines and an unusually saturated yet captivating palette. Overall, the illustrations are humorous and dynamic, although occasionally the darker backgrounds make it difficult to read the black text. The narrative, which begins on the title page, has moments of wry humor, as well as touching scenes of friendship. The flow among dialogue, thoughts, and narrative is easy and natural. Owing to the lengthier text, this title is a great choice for a lower elementary read-aloud. VERDICT This unusual selection is a general purchase that will find an audience among young dinosaur lovers.—Amy Seto Forrester, Denver Public Library

School Library Journal

2016-03-30
Kind treatment reforms a prehistoric bully in this dino bromance from Japan.Still looking a lot like a saw-backed Godzilla in Miyanishi's high-contrast orange-and-blue illustrations, the T. Rex first met (on this side of the Pacific) in You Look Yummy! (2015) falls off a cliff into the ocean while meanly chasing a herd of little styracosauruses. Just as he's about to drown, along comes flippered, long-necked Elasmosaurus to boost him out of the water and, like a nurturing mammal, tenderly lick his injuries clean. As the two become fast friends, not only does T. Rex guiltily deny to Elasmosaurus that he's a bully, he actually changes his behavior toward former victims too. When Elasmosaurus is beaten up (a "nasty dinosaur in the ocean" bites him all over), Tyrannosaurus ultimately effects a rescue in return. Confessing his true nature, he then makes a promise: "I will take care of you and help you get better. And we will be together forever and ever." "Forever and ever," Elasmosaurus affirms, as the two embrace tightly in the closing scene. Such demonstrativeness in male-male friendships is decidedly uncommon in American literature; to see the sentiment in a book with such muscular illustrations (and protagonists) is something of a cognitive disconnect that may cause more than one reader to reconsider assumptions.Dinosaurs have feelings too. (Picture book. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews