THE MAKING OF FOREVER FRIENDS, BY CARIN BERGER
Carin's daughter and a friend fishing in Japan.
Books sometimes seem to evolve from thin air. Other times they grow out of issues that I am wrestling with personally. The latter is certainly the case with Forever Friends. It’s a story of separation and enduring friendship and was written as our family was preparing to leave to spend four months in Japan. We travel a lot, often leaving our home for extended periods, but somehow this journey loomed particularly large for both my 11-year-old daughter and for me. We had repeated conversations about how friendships can withstand distance and time. It seemed like we both needed that reassurance. Forever Friends is a story that bloomed from these discussions, and, having put our friendships to the test by venturing off into the wilds of Japan, it appears that the premise that true friendship lasts forever has been, happily, proven true!
One more small note: I see Forever Friends as a companion book to The Little Yellow Leaf. They are both books about the richness and importance of friendship, and the little brown bunny and the small blue bird make an appearance on the front and back cover of The Little Yellow Leaf.
Forever Friends in progress. The top two images show spare parts and remnants from the collages. Below you'll see an early sketch, and finally, a finished spread!
Carin Berger is an award-winning designer and illustrator, and the creator of Forever Friends, which went on sale this week! Her other books for children include OK Go and The Little Yellow Leaf, which was named a New York Times Best Illustrated book. She won the Society of Illustrators Founder’s Award in 2006. Carin Berger lives with her family in New York City.
carin, i’m such a fan of yours and
i can’t wait to buy this book for my
bubs and my bubs’ friends! many congratulations!
your collages are simply amazing!
As a kid who wasn’t an Army brat and yet managed to rack up attendance at 4 different high schools because we moved so much, I can attest to the foreverness of friends! And I adore this book for exactly that reason. Forever Friends is a gorgeous piece of work that is visually and emotionally breathtaking. Carin Berger, can I be president of your fan club??
My own little ones are now 16 and 18 years old. I visited a friend yesterday who has two sweet little boys, 1 year and 2 years old. She had a newly purchased copy of Little Yellow Leaf, which I had somehow (I do have trouble keeping up) not seen. What a wonderful book! I look forward to seeing this one. Hopefully before too long.