How important is loyalty in a friendship? Baku the crocodile finds out in this charming fable set in Kenya.

Baku makes friends with Taki, a monkey who lives in a tree above the river. Together they share the delicious juicy mangoes from Taki's tree. They talk and eat, eat and talk.

Everything is fine until Baku betrays Taki's trust and puts his life in jeopardy. It's a good thing that Taki is such a smart monkey! But is he smart enough to keep from being fed to the Mighty One, leader of the crocodiles?

Children will learn the need for trust between friends as they enjoy this delightful tale with its brilliantly colored illustrations. The Heart of a Friendship can be used to teach children problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.

H. J. Arrington is involved in the International Reading Association, National Middle School Association, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, National Council of Teachers of English, and Kentucky Reading Assocation. Currently an assistant professor in the University of Kentucky's College of Education, she was also an elementary and middle-school classroom teacher. Dr. Arrington uses storytelling as an educational tool; she gives oral presentations to children and workshops and lectures to teachers. This is her first children's picture book. She has also written for the 1995 Heath Literacy reading series.

JoAnn E. Kitchel is a free-lance illustrator who lives in Nashua, New Hampshire, and illustrates children's books, magazines, and video jackets. Her work has a West Indian flavor due to the time she spent in the West Indies teaching art as a Peace Corps volunteer.

THE HEART OF A FRIENDSHIP:
An East African Folktale
By H. J. Arrington
Illustrated by JoAnn E. Kitchel
32 pp. 8½ x 11
Color illustrations
ISBN: 1-56554-224-X
EAN: 978-1-56554-224-2