Do You Want To Be My Friend?

This classic tale of friendship tracks a small gray mouse's search for the perfect pal. He asks various animals the same question. "Do you want to be my friend?" But it's not until he meets another mouse that he is answered with a heartwarming "Yes!" Full color. ALA Notable Children's Books of 1940-1970; "School Library Journal" Best of the Best Children's Books.

Do you want to be my friend? asks the little mouse, and hopefully follows a tail, finding at the end of it a rather unfriendly horse. But there's another tail, and another, and a strange, long, green one, too, that follows the mouse on his quest for a friend.

Each page of this ingenious picture book contains a surprise. Its only text is on the first page, but the exciting pursuit of a friend for the little mouse lends itself to improvisation by both the reader and the young child -- another brilliant idea from Eric Carle, the creator of "The Secret Birthday Message" and "The Mixed-Up Chameleon."

Notable Children's Books of 1971 (ALA)
Children's Books of 1971 (Library of Congress)
Honor Book, Book World Spring Book Festival 1971