Reviewed by Olga Markova for Readers’ Favorite

I’m Somebody’s Favorite Friend is a fabulous picture book for children by East Lewis. We meet a little boy, Finn, and his mom. Finn is worried because he cannot find Max, his pet dragon. Finn’s mom reassures him that dragons like to wander about. But Finn starts looking for Max and asks the neighbors if they saw him. Unfortunately, neither Dr. Daniels nor Mrs. Andalucia saw Max. But Dr. Daniels promises that if Max is hurt, he will treat him, and Mrs. Andalucia comes up with an idea: Finn could make missing dragon signs and post them around town. So, Finn and his best friends Chloe, Sam, and Riley start Operation Dragon Rescue. But what happened to Max? And will Finn and his friends find him?

I’m Somebody’s Favorite Friend by East Lewis is one of the loveliest illustrated books for children. The full-page illustrations by talented artist Marta Kojadinovic were fantastic - the children’s emotions were clearly portrayed, and the places, like home, school, park, and grocery store, looked realistic. In addition to the perfect visuals that told the story by themselves, I liked the supporting narrative – it was intriguing, perfectly tailored to children’s short attention spans, and educational. I particularly appreciated how the story, while entertaining, delivered important messages of friendship, perseverance, care and love for pets, the need to consult adults, and gratitude. I highly recommend this book to preschool and primary school children. And the hardback edition would make a perfect gift for young readers. But parents and child carers beware: the children will want their own pet dragons after reading this book!