Lissy's Friends Book

What do you do when you're the new girl at school? If you're Lissy, you make a friend. A paper friend. And to Lissy's surprise, her little origami bird opens his eyes and says hello! So she quickly makes more friends. And soon Lissy has more friends than she can count!

But what do you do when your friends have to leave? If you're Lissy, you make another friend . . . but this time one that stays.

Utterly imaginative and charming, Lissy's Friends is a fresh take on the importance of friendship.

Children's Literature

Poor Lissy finds that being the new girl in school is very lonely. Finishing her lunch early and seeking company, she makes a paper crane from the menu. To her surprise and delight, the crane she calls Menu blinks at her and flutters her wings. The next day, Lissy makes many more origami friends for herself from colored paper, so she is not alone any more. One day, she takes these new friends to the playground. Soon, they are spinning so fast on the merry-go-round that the wind carries them away. But a girl there finds Menu and asks Lissy to show her how she made it. Soon, Lissy has real friends. The cover illustration displays the emphasis Lin places on the decorated papers she uses for her visualization of the simple, imaginative story. Lissy uses these to make her many animal friends, but they also appear throughout the pages as wallpaper, rugs, furniture coverings, an umbrella, and clothing. The overall impression is decorative, in keeping with the light-hearted but mystical narrative. Instructions for folding a paper crane appear on the back end-pages. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz