Title: Tulip and Doug: A Spud-tacular Friendship Story
Written by: Emma Wood
Illustrated by: Carla Martell
Scholastic NZ, 2020
For ages: 3+
Themes/topics: friendship, imagination, being true to yourself
First page:
Tulip was famous in her neighbourhood for two reasons:
- She was a fearless adventurer.
- She went everywhere with a seriously strange sidekick.
A potato.
Why I recommend this book:
You never know where you’ll find friendship. And that’s especially true with Tulip and Doug.
Tulip is an adventurous and unusual girl with a surprising best friend — a potato named Doug. The two go everywhere together, and Tulip doesn’t mind when other kids laugh at them. She’s a true friend. When knobbly bits grow out of Doug’s face, Tulip gently removes them.
But when Tulip and Doug are unexpectedly separated, Tulip tries to play with other toys, and discovers it’s simply not the same. With just the right combination of quirky and heartfelt, Emma Wood’s text will charm you! And Carla Martell’s illustrations are adorable. I also love the surprising twist ending. This is a sweet and satisfying story you won’t want to miss!
(For a colossal collection of picture book reviews, please visit this page on Susanna’s site: http://susannahill.com/for-teachers-and-parents/perfect-picture-books/.)
gabisnyder.com 
A Spud-tacular story of friendship. Love the wordplay. And, I’m curious how this ends. For some strange reason it reminds me of the movie “Castawa” with Tom Hanks and the basketball “Wilson” that becomes his friend. Thanks for sharing!
LikeLiked by 2 people
The wordplay is so fun! And I love the comparison to “Castaway” – ha!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh Gabi, this would pair so well with SOPHIE’S SQUASH! I love the “seriously strange sidekick.” Thank you so much for featuring this book! I added it to my TBR list.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hooray! Yes, it would pair perfectly with SOPHIE’S SQUASH!
LikeLike
I agree with Maria, a great pairing with Sophie’s Squash! I’ll be adding this one to my TBR pile. Thanks for the rec!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope you enjoy it! And talking about potato and squash pairings is making me hungry! 😉
LikeLike
So nice to promote a fun Kiwi book. I love seeing what is being published elsewhere.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Nice blog 💙
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
My pleasure, followed you 💕
LikeLiked by 1 person