Murguia, Bethanie Deeney. We Disagree. Beach Lane Books, 2020. $18.00. Unpaged. ISBN 9781534438804. Ages 3-8. P7 Q6
Do friends always need to agree? Mouse and Squirrel do not agree on most things. However, when they realize that they agree that they do not agree, the relationship between them changes. The illustrations are essential since the only words in the book are the dialogue between the two animals. The words get bigger as their discussion gets a bit heated and the illustrations show them getting a bit upset. The illustrations were rendered with India ink, poster paints, and block printing and were finished digitally and set against expanses of white negative space. The text is hand-lettered. Mouse who likes blue has a blue backgrounded speech balloon and Squirrel has a red speech balloon. This format is successful as it focuses on the dialogue between the two animals.
Verdict: As children are learning about friendships, they often think that friends have to agree to get along. This humorous rhyming book featuring a mouse and squirrel show children that it is okay to disagree and still be friends. This is a good book to introduce individuating and thinking for oneself instead of following what others do. It allows for a discussion on how it feels when one disagrees. This makes for a successful read aloud since the words are simple and the illustrations are large. For older children, one can point out that the whole story is written in speech balloons. Great for siblings.
February 2021 review by Harris.
Oregon Coast Youth Book Preview Center 