Review of The Unique Friendship of Grover and Steve

[Jeffrey S Brown]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Unique Friendship of Grover and Steve" by Lee Cherry.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Diversity and inclusion are the main themes of The Unique Friendship of Grover and Steve. This story of two friends facing bigoted discrimination is a well-presented lesson that people would be wise to heed. This beautifully illustrated children’s book follows the story of a donkey and ostrich whose friendship is denigrated by the donkey herd but welcomed by the ostrich flock. If species is irrelevant to the two friends, it most certainly is relevant to the main donkey herd because ‘he’s not like us.’ The herd shuns Grover, and he retreats to the canopy tree shelter with Steve. They continue to play and graze together, and when Grover meets the ostrich flock, they accept him unconditionally. Then trouble strikes, and the ostrich flock declines to accompany Grover to investigate, except for Steve. Friends’ support is a valuable teaching topic for children and adults regardless of origin. The foolishness of bigotry is presented in a simple and understandable way without name-calling or violence. The book also shows how disparate groups suddenly come together in times of crisis, further demonstrating how divisiveness is not in anyone’s best interest. Even the hyenas, the social pariahs they are, are not excluded. The message seems pretty straightforward and is a good one for children to learn.

The artwork by Barbara Biddle is a delight. The pictures look fresh, not garish, and communicate the physical environment and mood well.

The Unique Friendship of Grover and Steve is not what I first expected. Books for this audience seem to point more toward reading or math skills than social skills. The author does not talk down to children but approaches them as the intelligent beings they are, making the book very approachable. The writing is good, both technically and in tone. It is about the right length for a bedtime story, making it a winner and part of my library. I don’t see any negatives, and I rate it five out of five stars.

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The Unique Friendship of Grover and Steve
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