David Bruins

Ninja, Cowboy, and Bear are best friends who love do everything together, until one day a game goes awry. Suddenly everything becomes a competition and each friend wants to declare himself "the best." Over time, the friends come to realize that each has their own unique talents to contribute, and there is no need to constantly try to one up each other.

Although it borders on being too didactic, I really enjoyed this book. It's a great lesson for kids (and honestly, let's face it, some adults) to learn/be reminded of from time to time. The three disparate characters make it interesting, and these popular children's figures were clearly picked to appeal to young boys (and I think the book will no doubt prove successful in that). The illustrations are also fun, with an energy and sharpness about them that is pleasing and engaging.

The only downside to this book is it tries to be more exciting by adding a "game" at the end, which is basically a large motor pantomime version of "Rock Paper Scissors" replaced with "Ninja Cowboy Bear." It just seemed a little strange to me to include something so mindlessly competitive after concluding a tale all about acceptance and discovering one's own special abilities, without having to lord them over someone else.… (mais)