iBook Reviews

Are You My Friend? A Raymond and Sheila Story

As a parent, we teach our kids to say “please” and “thank you,” wash their hands before eating, and not to pick their nose, but have you talked to your child about how to make and keep a friendship?

If you would like to start opening communication with your 4-8 year old about their feelings and relationships, the iBook Are You My Friend? A Raymond and Sheila Story by Annie Fox is a perfect resource to help in your child’s relational development. The older sister and younger brother alligators Sheila and Raymond help your child understand common emotions they may be encountering with their siblings and peers, and how to overcome uncomfortable feelings and step out of their comfort zones. The iBook is $2.99 in the iBook Store.

Are You My Friend is available for iPad, iPhone (3G or later), or iPod Touch (2nd generation or later), updated with iBooks 1.3 or higher (free eBook reader app from Apple).

In this story, younger brother Raymond feels left out when his older sister Sheila invites over her friend (and next door neighbor), Ilana the Iguana. Raymond is left to play with his stuffed bear Snowball, and watches his sister have fun with Ilana, desiring to have a friendship in the same way. After being turned away from the girls’ fun several times, Raymond sees Ilana’s younger brother playing by himself with his stuffed toy monkey. With a little encouragement from Snowball the Bear, Raymond musters up the confidence to make himself vulnerable and invite Iggy the Iguana to play with him.

The iBook has a Read Aloud feature which is wonderful. I love how each character has a different-sounding voice, and it is complete with sounds effects and music, which help bring the story to life. The Read Aloud feature also highlights the words on the page as they are spoken.

I like how this story was produced as an iBook, rather than an app; this story has a very clear message, and with no added games or tapping to animate objects, their is no distraction to keep your child from learning and growing in the message. This story doesn’t need anything extra to entertain; it’s a great and interesting story all on its own. The illustrations of Are You My Friend also really complement the story; it is illustrated by Eli Noyes, and the images have a childlike appeal to them.

At the end of the story, there is a helpful guide for parents in assisting their children in developing social skills and learning more about their emotions. Not only is there a great message in the story of growing out of imaginary characters, breaking out of shyness, and introducing yourself to make new friends, but the audible questions posed by the characters at the end of the story get kids thinking and talking with their parents. I love how the characters in the story ask the questions; the characters have become familiar to kids and seem more approachable in getting a response. Again, this makes it all more relatable for kids.

The Are You My Friend iBook by Annie Fox is a funny and endearing story, that drives home a message to 4-8 year olds on how to overcome and deal with common issues they may be experiencing at home and among their peers, and it is a great tool for parents to open communication with their children in helping them talk about their emotions and friendships.

You can learn more about this story and Sheila and Raymond the Alligator, by visiting RaymondandSheila.com

About the Author: Annie Fox, M.Ed., has been teaching, writing and creating innovative content for kids for
30+ years. Her first picture book “People Are Like Lollipops” (Holiday House) was
published before she was legally old enough to sign the contract. Since then Annie has
designed many classic kids’ computer games. She’s also written several award-winning books
for tweens and teens, including the popular Middle School Confidential(TM) series, which
Electric Eggplant has developed as totally cool graphic novel apps.