Japanese author/illustrator Tatsuya Miyanishi returns to the world of prehistory in this second picture-book devoted to the doings of the slightly-less-than-admirable Tyrannosaurus Rex who debuted in his You Look Yummy! Known as a bully on land, our T-Rex is pursuing some Styracosauruses when he falls off a cliff. Unable to swim, he is in danger of drowning when he is rescued by an Elasmosaurus. Shamed by the sea creature's seeming trust of him, he lies about who he is, making his first friend in the process. But as he becomes closer and closer to this new companion, the idea remains: will his friend still want to know him, if he discovers who that he is truly the fearoms Tyrannosaurus Rex...?

Originally published in Japan in 2004, and then in this English-language edition in 2016, You Are My Best Friend is every bit as engaging as its predecessor, pairing an engrossing and ultimately heartwarming story with bold, eye-catching illustrations. I continue to find myself surprised by how much I enjoy Miyanishi's artwork, given the fact that at first glance it really isn't my cup of tea. Something about it just works, though, and the crazy colors and stylized figures are a pleasure to peruse. The story is sweet, depicting how friendship changes a rather fearsome individual who is "nasty and selfish" into one who is caring and self-sacrificing, risking his life to aid his new friend. Recommended to anyone who has enjoyed other Miyanishi stories, and to anyone looking for engaging anthropomorphic dinosaur stories. ( )

This is the second book about Tyrannosaurus that I have read by Tatsuya Miyanishi and I like it just as much. Dinosaur lovers will absolutely love this book. Parents should also love this book.

You are My Best Friend is about a T-Rex who is scary and mean to all the other dinosaurs, he is a T-Rex after all. When he falls into the sea off a cliff while chasing a heard of dinos, he is rescued by Elasmosaurus. There begins a friendship. They spend lots of time with each other, but T-Rex has kept a secret. When he is asked about the mean tyrannosaurus, he says he does not know him. When Elasmosaurus is under attack by another water dinosaur, T-Rex risks his life to save him. He finally tells his friend the truth and they still remain friends. It's sweet and I can't think of any child who wouldn't love it, especially if they love dinosaurs. Discussions about allowing people to prove that they have changed and forgiving others could happen while reading and after the book is finished. The illustrations are very cartoonish, but they really work in this book.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

I specifically endeavor to avoid sugar-coating harsh realities of life to my children, and so far they have responded positively to it. I say this because You Are My Best Friend aligns with that specific parenting philosophy, and those who do not subscribe to said style will likely find this book way too abrasive. There are literal threats of killing/eating, instances of brazen lying to manipulate others, and overarching themes involving the persistent maiming of others. Because, the characters are indeed dinosaurs, and despite being fictional this book does accept their presumed nature.

That being said, the threats/acts of violence are, of course, illustrated to be poor character traits, and the lying does culminate in a guilt-ridden confession. The bully of a dinosaur is also redeemed to a small extent at the end when, upon confessing his lies, his best friend insists that the bully's "true" nature was reflected in his heroic rescue rather than merely in his past crimes of jerk-dom. It should also be said that even before this, the bully already embarked on his path of redemption by electing to cease his harvesting/feasting on dinosaurs weaker than himself in favor of a different diet involving berries and fish (do not fear, fellow omnivores, this book does not push vegetarianism).

The illustrative style of this book is truly unique... I do not think I have come across anything like it. It has a very bright, contrasting, and "busy" feel to it that I think my kiddos will enjoy as a new change of pace from typical children's books once we obtain a physical copy of this book (a digital copy was provided via NetGalley for reviewing purposes). The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of a full 5 was because I was a bit dissatisfied by what I perceived to be unnecessary loose ends. Like... what is going to happen now - is the former-bully just going to carry his oceanic friend around on land forever? Are they going to address the bully of the sea? Without these minor clarifications, the story could ALMOST veer off into undesirable co-dependent relationship territory wherein logic is abandoned on the basis that a relationship will be "enough" in and of itself. Which, no.

Read this to your kids if you're looking for a picture book that introduces/reinforces unconventional topics that can be a bit tricky to navigate.

Proceed with caution if your kiddos would be overly disturbed by "scary" behavior in books or depictions of dinosaurs having bite wounds. ( )

There is nothing sweeter than reading a children's follow-up story after loving it's amazing predecessor. I was honored to receive book one in a seven book series by creative author Tatsuya Miyanishi. Today's review is for You Are My Best Friend, book two in the Tyrannosaurus Series.

In book one (You Look Yummy! 10/29/15), Tyrannosaurus was on the prowl for something to eat and came across an adorable, baby ankylosaurus. Instead of eating the baby dino, Tyrannosaurus ended up becoming a sort of adoptive Pappa. It was adorable and my Ewoks loved it- especially the ending.
In You Are My Best Friend, I think Tyrannosaurus was upset at being alone because he went on the prowl! He was stomping those smaller than himself. He ripped down trees and chased a herd of styracosauruses away; Tyrannosaurus had become a bully! But as with all children's stories, there was a lesson to be learned and Tyrannosaurus got it, the hard way!
For Full Review: http://tinyurl.com/h769moe
**Book provided by Museyon.com, for an honest review.​ ( )

Tyrannosaurus is a bully. He is cruel and selfish. Everybody runs away from him because they are terrified. But it happens one day that Tyrannosaurus falls from the cliff, and Elasmosaurus helps him out of the water just when Tyrannosaurus is about to drown. Elasmosaurus lives in the water, so he doesn't know how mean Tyrannosaurus usually is. He not only saves him, but he also heals his wounds and brings him food. They become friends, and deeply enjoy spending time together. Tyrannosaurus feels like a new dinosaur. He smiles, eats berries, and looks happy and relaxed.

One day Elasmosaurus is attacked by a nasty dinosaur from the sea. Tyrannosaurus finds him with his body all covered by bite marks. "What a terrible thing to do!" he thinks. He feels terrible. Only now he confesses to his friend that he is the cruel dinosaur everybody hates. But Elasmosaurus knows that the true Tyrannosaurus is kind, and a great friend too.

Once again, as in You look yummy!, Tatsuya Miyanishi proposes a different way too see a situation. In this case he puts forward the idea of how caring about the bully is also a way to stop bullying. Because of his barbarous behavior, all Tyrannosaurus obviously gets from other dinosaurs is fear and apprehension. And although he seems totally fine with it, he only is truly happy when he finds a friend who loves him. I can perfectly envision this book as a trigger to wonderful conversations with my kids.

The writing is different from what we are used to, but this probably has a lot to do with the translation from Japanese. The illustrations are also distinctive, but I like them very much. I'm already looking forward to future titles in this series.

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )