What a great title!
This 1961 picture book by Janice May Udry is tiny: it would definitely fit in a coat pocket, and maybe in the back pockets of some pants.
The size fits, because this is a very focused book. Let’s Be Enemies focuses on John and James. They used to be friends who did everything together. Then John gets mad at James for a series of selfish actions: taking all the crayons, throwing sand, etc. Now they are enemies.
John goes over to tell James they aren’t friends any more, but instead are enemies. They pout at each other. They yell at each other. They turn to go, Then John shifts moods. He asks James to skate. James offers him a pretzel. They are back to being inseparable friends. The end.
That’s all? Yes. But with Maurice Sendak’s spare, focused art, this book gives us two key and interwoven feelings: how quickly childhood moods can change, and how a childhood friendship can feel like the whole world.
Lovely.
