Friends Find a Way!

Friends Find a Way! is a follow-up story to Fast Friends. This story features friends Suze and Tyson who each have their own challenges in school (though Suze’s are more obvious in this book while Tyson’s are not focused on as obviously as in the earlier book). Though Suze’s abilities are never openly discussed, she is non-verbal, in a wheelchair and requires others’ assistance to get around, and she wears an impact helmet. She and Tyson are obviously close friends and spend all their time together through the story. These friends are going on a field trip to the zoo with their class, and Tyson and Suze are most excited to see the cheetahs since Tyson is always moving “speedy-quick”, and Suze also likes travelling fast in her wheelchair! At the zoo, Suze and Tyson inadvertently get separated from the group, and Tyson eventually finds his was back to the rest of the class with Suze’s help.

O’Connor’s story has many well-thought-out and heartwarming elements, complemented by Dávila’s charming illustrations. Readers can see that Tyson obviously adores and dotes on Suze, evidenced by the fact that he always looks to her to include her in conversations, asks her questions, and unfailingly takes her everywhere with him. By observing Dávila’s simple and colourful illustrations carefully, readers can see that Tyson is always looking in Suze’s direction or touching her wheelchair, gets ‘down’ to her level, pays attention to how she communicates, advocates for and speaks for her, and is genuinely concerned when they get separated from the class. As former art director of Chirp and Chickadee magazines, Dávila obviously has a knack for communicating with readers through pictures. Quite often a story stands on its own and is complemented by the illustrations, but, in this case, the opposite seems to be true. O’Connor’s story is lovely and adds some extra, missing, details to the pictures, but the story told by the illustrations is the real star in this pairing.

Though Friends Find a Way! can stand on its own, elements are certainly lost if readers haven’t experienced the first ‘instalment’ with . Readers may not understand Tyson and Suze’s affinity for travelling “speedy-quick” or why these two stick so closely to each other. Additionally, the writing sometimes seems awkward, particularly the phrase “speedy-quick” which is used repeatedly in both stories. Though the referencing is understandable, it does not roll off the tongue or stick in your mind. If readers have not previously seen before this story, they may be initially confused and somewhat lost. Doubling back and reading helps, but Friends Find a Way! does not seem to pack the same punch as the preceding book. One of the most disappointing things about the book is the lack of attention and inclusion that the teacher and classmates give to Tyson and Suze. Yes, the book is meant to focus on the pair’s friendship, and perhaps this subtle exclusion is deliberate and meant to shine a light on how these two gravitated towards each other and why they are important to each other, but this facet of the story really brings an element of negativity to the overall idea.

Despite these limitations, Friends Find a Way! still carries important messages about inclusion and subtly teaches readers not to underestimate others (or not to judge a book by its cover, if you will). This story will definitely open up the opportunity for conversations with younger readers about diversity and inclusion, different forms of communication (which may be especially important in the classroom with students who display their learning in different ways or those that cannot speak the designated language), and the less obvious – though still important – idea of paying attention to the teacher and following directions! This book is recommended as an addition to classroom, school, or home libraries if Fast Friends is already a part of the collection, but it would not be as effective as a stand-alone purchase.