Meet Me in the Middle: A VeeFriends Book

Gr 1-3–Patient Pig has a big basketball game, but her steady nature can be a liability: she’s late because she has to triple-knot her shoes, she passes the ball to a friend simply to be nice, and eventually “she’s so patient that the game is over before she gets a chance to take a shot.” Meanwhile, Eager Eagle starts out strong but falters because he has skipped important steps like eating breakfast. When the game is over, the two compare notes, admiring each other’s very different approaches. Patient Pig laments her timidity while Eager Eagle rues the excitable nature that sometimes gets in the way of being a team player. They decide to coach each other and discover that they are a great team when they “meet in the middle.” The illustrations are colorful, cartoonish, and appealingly busy, with much to observe. The book’s major selling point is its appealing flip format: readers can enjoy the story from Patient Pig’s perspective, then flip the book over and see the day through the eyes of Eager Eagle. It’s a quirky, effective hook but there are deeper lessons about looking past surface victories or failures, realizing that what is visible in another’s life is only part of the story, and valuing heartfelt teamwork.