Book Review of True Friends Indeed
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The Children’s Book Review
True Friends Indeed
Written by Ralph Tufo
Illustrated by Jory Mason
Ages 4-6 | 40 Pages
Publisher: Leaning Rock Press (2022) | ISBN-13: 9781960596239
What to Expect: Friendship, bullying, inclusivity, beach, and nature.
The third book in the Seemore the Seagull series, True Friends Indeed, continues the other books’ themes, teaching readers about acceptance, inclusion, and friendship.
Seemore and Sydney are excited about the sandcastle festival – they’re looking forward to a day filled with singing, dancing, surfing, and fun. After accidentally breaking their surfboards, they take to the sky to look down on the festival from above—and see something very troubling. The other herring gulls have teamed up to bully a visiting laughing gull, attacking her for looking different, sounding different, and being from somewhere else. Seemore and Sydney step in immediately, reminding the other gulls how bullying feels. Once everyone has remembered how to be kind and accepting, the gull can get on with the day’s festivities—ending with a rousing song of thanks from their visitor!
Seemore is a charismatic main character, full of confidence and always ready for adventure, with mannerisms that will be familiar to anyone who has ever watched seagulls at the beach. Lifelike illustrations pair well with the characterizations of the gulls, realistically depicting the anatomy and postures of gulls in soft, beachy colors. The rhyming text has a lively rhythm, perfect for reading (or chanting) aloud.
True Friends Indeed is an enjoyable anti-bullying story that is as fun to read as it is beautiful on the page.
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About the Author
Ralph Tufo is a retired college professor and has been a professional musician for over 35 years. His band, The Squeezebox Stompers, tours throughout New England. In addition to writing two other books in the Seemore the Seagull Tales Series, Seemore the Seagull and Brotherly Love, he has written several short plays, over 50 songs, and 3 full-length musicals.
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