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Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite
Friends come and go in life and sometimes it’s really hard to say goodbye to a good friend. In Deborah Burke Henderson’s The GIFTS Friends Give Us, Little Rusty, a bunny, is sad because he has to say goodbye to his best and only friend, Little Turtle, who’s moving away with his family. Little Rusty doesn’t make friends easily. For one thing, he stutters and the other bunnies like to bully him. Little Turtle never makes fun of Little Bunny and his stuttering. What is Little Bunny going to do without his best friend? Can he make another friend? Perhaps the ladybug he met the other day might make a good friend. There are loving creatures around us, and we all have our unique qualities and differences. Little Rusty just has to find the right loving creature, someone who will be kind, honest, caring, and respect his uniquely different qualities, like his stuttering.
Deborah Burke Henderson’s early chapter book, The GIFTS Friends Give Us, is a great way to teach young readers about respect and accepting differences. With animal characters telling the story, this reads like Richard Adams’ classic, Watership Down. The language is simple to help early readers improve their reading skills. The characters, all animals, are endearing and add a touch of compassion and tenderness to the story. The plot follows Little Rusty as he says goodbye to a dear friend, finds understanding from his grandmother, and learns to accept change as a new friend appears where he least expects to find one. The valuable lessons shared in this story include determination, kindness, honesty, respect, and the power and joy of both family and friends. Young readers will learn how important it is to respect themselves, even with their differences, and to respect others, too. A very heartwarming story.
