“I like your face. It’s super special. Like an ultra-rare trading card or that giant pink octopus at the aquarium.” So begins a tribute to friendship between two adorable tots. Though the tale is narrated in first person, it’s never clear which is speaking, but the loving sentiments are clearly felt by both. These youngsters know each other—and their faces—so well that they could spot one another “in a crowd of a million gazillion people.” The kids list all the faces they enjoy making—silly ones, “hangry” ones, even the “holding-in-a-fart” face. Davidson’s text is rife with goofy, kid-friendly humor, but it also offers comforting revelations: “We even know each other’s ‘Pretending-to-Be-Brave Faces…although when we’re together, I never feel like I have to pretend.” For these two, friendship means listening, showing up, being a team, and feeling safe enough to reveal one’s vulnerable side; friends are the people who will empathize with and understand you no matter what. Más Davidson’s cartoon illustrations place the round-headed youngsters in a variety of entertaining situations: watching fireworks, attending school, and (in a scene where they envision the future) still friends as elders winning a Halloween costume at their retirement community. Uncluttered backgrounds keep the emphasis on their shining, expressive faces. One of the kids presents Black; the other is pale-skinned and dark-haired.
