Best Friends: A Pop-up Book    by Sheri Safran & Mark Chambers Order:  USA  Can Trafalgar Square, 2011 (2011) Hardcover     Reviewed by Bob Walch 'James is my best friend. He has the wildest imagination of anyone I know,' explains the little girl who narrates this picture book. The two children have fun pretending to climb mountains, play astronaut, and hunt dinosaurs. And even when they aren't pretending the two friends enjoy running and shooting hoops in the driveway. What's remarkable about this story is that James is confined to a wheelchair, but that doesn't matter one bit. The two children let their imaginations invent things for them to share when they aren't doing more active things. Although I love the idea behind this story that stresses the thought that having a disability in no way acts as a deterrent when it comes to a friendship, I have a small problem with the book's design. Because this is a pop-up book, it has moveable parts and sometimes they don't always slip back into place smoothly. This is not as sturdy a construction as I would like to see for a book of this nature. Since the theme here is certainly one that is important, you may want to purchase this book, but it will have to be handled gently since I doubt it will stand up to steady, hard use. Although perfect for classroom read aloud sessions for younger children, I wouldn't check this out too often for take-home reading. Or, if it does go out, make sure it does so with the admonition, 'Please make sure you are careful when turning the pages!' Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews