The Two Tims

PreS-Gr 2—Elliott presents a pair of best friends, the two Tims, who delight in doing everything together. That is, until Tom comes along. Newcomer Tom's interests highlight the differences between the two Tims. The blond Tim gleefully plays knights with Tom while the brunet Tim sits glaring out from under his eyebrows at the action on the verso page. The dark-haired Tim is a fan of crazy dancing. In sharp distinction to Tim and Tom, who boogie wildly, the blond Tim is alone and still at the far right of the spread. The two Tims are reunited (in picture and text) when they discover that Tom has a skill neither of them has. When Tom generously offers to teach them to swim, their bond as "Two Tims and a Tom" is cemented. The text's limited vocabulary and the strong visual cues provided by Alborozo's loose, sketchy pen and watercolor illustrations make this a good choice for emerging readers. The visual punch line at the end of the book will be familiar to anyone who has experienced the challenges and joys of making new friends while keeping the old.