A Friend for George by Gabriel Evans

"Because that's what friends do."

George lives alone in a small blue hut beside the sea. He does have a happy life but deep in his heart he knows something is missing - he would love to have a friend. Near the shore he sees a rock pool and inside he finds a small fish with "golden scales and bright green fins." 

George chats with the little fish even though he does know the fish cannot answer or join the conversation. George shares his best jokes and he decides to call the fish Claude. It is a day of pure happiness:

"George slid and skipped and jumped over the rocks back to his home. That night, George couldn't stop smiling. He'd finally found a friend."

George cannot wait to catch up with his friend the next day but even the youngest children who live near the sea will predict the scene in the morning. The tide has risen and the rock pool is gone. Claude is now out in the ocean. But George wants his new friend. He needs his new friend. So he rushes home and grabs his row boat, oars and one more thing - a large glass fish bowl. George does find the little fish but when he scoops him into the fish bowl it very quickly becomes clear that this is not the right place for Claude. Can these two still be friends? Is there a lesson (albeit a gentle one) that George needs to learn about being a true friend. 

Here is a video where Gabriel talks about his book. You can see inside this book and read some review comments here. 

A Friend for George is a perfect book to read aloud with young children learning to navigate the world. Its message is gently delivered in a package that will be enjoyed by everyone. Kids' Book Review

Blue skies, sandy shores, breaking waves, and the rolling ocean are all brought to life in layered watercolour/gouache illustrations. Reading Time

It opens up the opportunities for discussions about what it is friends do – a phrase repeated often throughout the story – and how we need to learn to be unselfish and put the needs of others before ourselves.  The Bottom Shelf

This story theme reminded me of all those picture books about children who take stars from the sky and then they discover they do need to let them go. Take a look at this previous post where I list some books about children and stars. The idea of a fish in a fish bowl also made me think of this book:

Gabriel Evans often draws his characters - dog and human - with thin bendy legs and jaunty striped jumpers. To my eye this makes them endearing and vulnerable. Take a look at these book covers:

Blue Flower

Norton and the Borrowing Bear

If you look at my sidebar I have talked about SO many books with a friendship theme. As I write this post there are over 560 books with this label. A Friend for George is a wonderful addition to this topic and it is a story that could generate some very meaningful discussions with your own reading companion or with a group of young children. When I was a very young child my most precious and most re-read book was this book. It could be an interesting comparison text: