The Blessings of Friendship Treasury by Mary Engelbreit, © 2014

This beautiful book by Mary Engelbreit will endear you and your children to it. With the many festive drawings within, your little ones will want to search for the bunny again, and find all the delightful characters. I am reminded of "A Friend Is Someone Who Likes You" by Joan Walsh Anglund and Tomie dePaoli's stories ~ books without words. Each of Mary Engelbreit's drawings capture a story your child can tell you by looking at the activities in the picture. But, indeed ... there are words. Beautiful poems, quotes, and Scriptures are threaded through The Blessings of Friendship Treasury.

One page I especially love, two little girls are having a tea party outdoors. One girl is handing the other girl a double-portion slice of cake. The girl says, "FOR ME??!!" On the other girl's plate is a tiny sliver piece of cake. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." I love the borders she puts around her drawings.

Another has three little boys in their apple tree lookout with two little girls peeking up from below ~ "We have been friends together in sunshine and in shade." --Caroline Norton quote

   
The Blessings of Friendship Treasury, created by New York Times bestselling author and artist Mary Engelbreit, is a playful and poignant treasury of poetry, Bible verses, and quotes that celebrate the joy of friendship. Children will learn from timeless sayings and poems what it means to be a friend - helping, encouraging, listening, sharing with, and loving one another. Colorful and whimsical illustrations bring these words to life, as children learn the value of friendship. Verses from the Bible give us instruction on putting others above ourselves, loving each other, and being kind to one another. This book will make you smile with each turn of the page, remembering old friends and new friends alike.

Mary Engelbreit grew up studying the illustrations in the vintage storybooks of her mother’s own childhood, and she developed a unique style that harkens back to those simpler times. Mary’s distinctive images have made her a celebrity to millions, who eagerly snap up gift items, calendars, books, fabrics, and more. Mary’s dearest wish has always been to illustrate for children. Her New York Times bestselling The Night Before Christmas is already part of the holiday tradition for families across the country.

What medium do you use to create your art?
I use mostly colored markers. Before that, I did only black-and-white drawings because I was terrified I would ruin them if I used color. I moved on to colored pencils, and then I discovered markers. I'd do pen-and-ink outlines, follow that with markers, and then colored pencils to shade and highlight. Now I use colored pencils to completely color over the markers, which preserves the markers. Everybody thinks it's paint, but I actually can't paint, though someday I'd like to learn. http://www.maryengelbreit.com/q-and-a.html

This will be a keepsake book your whole family will enjoy.

***Thank you to BookLook Bloggers for the offer of Mary Engelbreit's delightful The Blessings of Friendship Treasury to review. This review was written in my own words. No other compensation was received.***