Illustrations by Marie-Louise Gay
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Release Date: February 9, 2016
Tiger and Badger are best friends, except when they aren't. The two are constantly fighting over toys, chairs, and even oranges. In the end, they always make up, but there is a lot of bickering along the way.
I know kids fight with their friends. We all did. I also know that kids make up rather quickly. However, I loathe the message that all friends fight and it is inevitable, especially when you are best friends. One of the greatest things I discovered as I got older was that fighting with someone is a choice and one can simply choose not to. Of course, this is something that was learned over time, but isn't that the better message to convey to children? Learn how to stop fights before they happen. Control your emotions. Allow your friends to be themselves. Be kind. Be generous. Be forgiving. Friendships built on see saw emotions are at best, stressful and at worst, emotionally abusive.
Tiger and Badger are actually rather horrible friends to one another. They aren't even friendly to one another. Their fights are petty and are rarely resolved in a healthy manner. They remind me of those friend that you were forced to play with because your mothers were good friends or because they lived next door. You never really got along, but they were the only other kid around. I'm sure they would be able to be good friends to one another, but since their only real communication method is making funny faces at one another, they definitely are not at the point where they can be.
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