I have a friend by Judith Inglese is a beautiful book all about a little boys imagination and the fun places it takes him. It’s the story of Henry and his imaginary friend Vladimir and the adventures they have together.
We were sent this book for review and it’s the first time I’ve come across Judith Inglese but I’m now interested in finding out more about her other books. I see that she has an award winning series called “I see the sun in…” which focuses on different countries, and that theme is carried through to “I have a friend” too. Henry’s imaginary friend Vladimir is from Iceland but together they explore all around the world.
They go to India, they go camping, they go to California and they also have fun at home together with their animals.
The book really captures how a child’s imagination is, hopping from one idea to the next with no boundaries and it’s really nicely presented with collage style illustrations. These are mixed media with photography and pencil drawings all mixed together which gives a great effect.
There are not too many sentences per page so this book is not over whelming at all for a younger child. It suited Mr R and Mr T the most, and there are plenty of pictures and details for them to point out. Judith Inglese is an American author, and the book came from an American publishing house. This does mean that in some places the language is slightly different than UK English (eg Oatmeal whereas my children would be more used to the word porridge, or a bag of chips for crisps) but this really doesn’t affect the overall story and it’s good for children to learn that the same things are called different names in different places!
It’s a lovely book and well worth adding to a child’s library.
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Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.
The style of the illustrations in that book look so different to others that we have! x
That looks like a lovely book and I love the illustrations.
It looks a nice book but surely Vladimir is not an Icelandic name!!
It’s based on a child’s imagination – the child may not know! :p