by Moe Zilla

Created on: March 09, 2010

"Better With Two"  is a sweet children's book about the friendship between a girl and the her next-door neighbor. "Mrs. Brady and Max live in the yellow house next to Laura's," the story begins. (And Max is a dog, so it's understandable why Laura would be fascinated.) It shows how author Barbara M. Joosse is able to get inside the head of a child. But she still manages to tell a story about the importance of warmth and connection.

As the story progresses, Joosse gradually sprinkles in details about the mysterious Mrs. Brady. The woman grew up in England, and she still has tea every morning at 11:00. And she's very punctual, always walking her dog around the block at 10:00. ("When it's windy, she keeps one hand on her hat...")  Mrs. Brady even shares her tea with her dog Max, and will compliment the dog on his tea-time decorum. "He never spills a drop of tea nor leaves a crumb of biscuit..."

Mrs. Brady is elegant and a little mysterious, and the book enhances that impression with its soft watercolor illustrations. Instead of photographic realism, there's simple pictures that have been lightly colored by illustrator Catherine Stock. But she still manages to include all of the most important details. When Mrs. Brady feeds a cup of tea to the dog, Stock draws his tail wagging with excitement. And when Mrs. Brady spends the afternoon on her porch swing watching the neighborhood, she's got her arm around her dog Max - who has a smile on his face.

"Often, they sing," adds Joosse. "Max likes 'I've Been Working on the Railroad' best..."

The book is filled with details about the life of the woman with her dog.  (Max barks at squirrels. Mrs. Brady does needlework...) But the most important detail appeared on the book's very first page. They always took their walk slowly, because Max was very old. And one day the girl's mother tells her that the dog has died.

The little girl cries, and her mother holds her and hugs her. "Crying is better with two," her mother says, which is the book's real message. Even Mrs. Brady's swing is unbalanced now without Max on the other end. And she "looks lonely and very sad."

Laura brings Mrs. Brady a little china dog, and Mrs. Brady says thank you. The next day Laura brings flowers, and Mrs. Brady says thank you again. And the next day it's a drawing "full of happy things - a rainbow and a smiling sun, a paper doily and a teacup." Laura has figured out that it's company that Mrs. Brady really needs. "Now the porch swing rocks straight, because swinging, like crying, is better with two."

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