A series of simple poems tells a friendship story in the voice of Zuri Jackson, who admires her spirited buddy, Danitra Brown. Their relationship is upbeat but unsentimental. They have lots of fun together riding bikes and jumping rope, and they help each other out with chores and problems. Zuri is sorry one time when she betrays her friend's secret, but they make up, and Danitra comforts Zuri when she feels bad that she has no dad around. Zuri loves the way her friend ignores the neighborhood taunts about her thick coke-bottle glasses; in fact, Danitra's proud example helps Zuri when the kids tease her about her very dark skin (her Mom tells her to say, The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice). Cooper's double-page spread oil-wash illustrations in rich shades of brown and purple are reminiscent of those he did for the poetry anthology Pass It On He sets the individual portraits within a lively city neighborhood, in changing seasons, indoors and out. We feel the girls' energy and their bond, in joyful games and in quiet times together. (Reviewed Feb. 15, 1994)

Thirteen poems about two best friends that live in a big city are enhanced by illustrations that build on the warmth in the girls' friendship. Zuri particularly admires Danitra's independent spirit, and Danitra is especially considerate of Zuri's emotions. The subjects include shared activities, such as riding bicycles and playing jump rope, as well as the more serious issues of revealing secrets and sensitivity about skin color.

In a lively cycle of 13 poems by the author of Somethin' on My Mind (1978), Zuri Jackson celebrates her vibrant best friend Danitra: ``the most splendiferous girl in town...She's not afraid to take a dare./If something's hard, she doesn't care./She'll try her best, no matter what.'' Danitra shares work, play, and confidences with equal verve, knows how to defuse a mean tease or comfort a friend, and loves to wear purple. In expansive double spreads, Cooper visualizes the girls' city neighborhood in glowing impressionistic pastels while focusing on subtly modeled close-ups of them in their many moods. The joyous portrayal will appeal to a broad age range (the friends are depicted as 10 or 12 years old); older readers may enjoy going on to Jean Little's equally upbeat portrait of Kate Bloomfield, Hey World, Her I Am! (1989). (Poetry/Picture book. 5-11)"

PW gave these poems about the friendship of two African American girls a starred review, saying, """"Anyone who has a best friend can relate to this realistic but bubbly volume."""" Ages 3-up. (Sept.)

Gr 2-4-A collection of 13 original poems that stand individually and also blend together to tell a story of feelings and friendship between two African-American girls. Grimes creatively uses the voice of Zuri Jackson to share tales of the girls' moments of admiration, pain, self-assurance, pride in their cultural heritage, sadness, disappointments, play, and their thoughts and feelings about future dreams and aspirations. Cooper's distinguished illustrations in warm dusty tones convey the feeling of closeness. The poignant text and lovely pictures are an excellent collaboration, resulting in a look at touching moments of friendship with universal appeal.-Barbara Osborne Williams, Queens Borough Public Library, Jamaica, NY