MoreThanWordsLK

Chalk & Cheese by Tim Warnes is the charming tale of a very unlikely pair of friends.  Chalk is a dog that lives in New York City and his best friend is a mouse named Cheese who lives in England.  While they appear to have nothing in common, there is one thing that binds them together:  their friendship.

Cheese has been sending postcards to Chalk asking all kinds of questions about New York.  Does a skyscraper really scrape the sky?  Where does Stuart Little live?  Can tractors be spotted driving down the crowded streets?

Instead of merely telling Cheese about the Big Apple, Chalk invites him to come over for a visit.  Cheese is thrilled at the idea of getting to spend some quality time with his best friend.  At first, he is a bit overwhelmed by all of the sights, sounds...and smells.  But, Chalk stands by him through it all and gently guides Cheese on the journey of a lifetime.

I very much enjoyed reading this story.  The book layout is very similar to a comic book, which I thought worked very well for the story.  However, I did find some of the page transitions to be a bit confusing since so much was happening on the page.

The illustrations are simple, but effective.  Children will fall in love with loyal Chalk and curious Cheese.  I believe that children ages 3-7 will truly treasure this book and its message about the true meaning of friendship.