“Snappsy the Alligator and His Best Friend Forever (Probably)” by Julie Falatko and illustrated by Tim Miller is a picture book that is humorous, educational and even, at the end, touching.

Snappsy is kind of a grumpy guy. When his “best friend,” a chicken, wants to have all kinds of fun with him, Snappsy responds that he really just wants a quiet evening alone. Readers, adults and kids alike, will laugh as Snappsy, at the brink of frustration, explains how they are not best friends:

“I did not ask to have a sleepover! I like sleeping by myself! I did not ask for a best friend! I invited you to one party and you never left! All the other guests went home WEEKS AGO. And you’re still here!”

There are plenty of other humorous moments. When chicken presents Snappsy with a shirt with the name “Snappsy” on it to show him that then they’ll have matching shirts, Snappsy sees the chicken holding a shirt with “Bert” written on it. “Who’s Bert?” he asks. It’s the chicken’s name, but Snappsy didn’t know. “You never asked,” the chicken says sadly.

Finally, Bert the chicken leaves after Snappsy says he wants nothing to do with him. But there’s a sweet and touching twist at the end.

This book would be great for a discussion by either parents or teachers about friendship. What are the boundaries between friends? How do you know if someone is a good friend? What does it look like? If someone wants to be your friend and you don’t want that, what do you do?

All these questions and the discussion that can relate to the story should make this book a must-have for any library or bookshelf. And if anyone is  just looking for lovely humor and a cute story, this book fits the bill as well!

Please note: This review is based on the final, hardcover book provided by Viking Books for Young Readers, the publisher, for review purposes.