Best Friends Day

Today (Wednesday 8 June) is Best Friends Day. An occasion to honour that one special person you call your "best friend". The relationship you have with your best friend will be one of the most treasured in your life; they are the person you can rely and depend on, talk to about anything and everything, and share life's experiences and adventures with.

Best friends come in all shapes and sizes and can enter our lives at any time; where better is this demonstrated than in the following literary pairings. (All of which can be found on the Kumon Recommended Reading list.)

Charlotte and Wilbur - Charlotte's Web
Here we see an unlikely friendship between a spider and a pig, but who can read E.B. White's Charlotte's Web without feeling that the book taught them a thing or two about the meaning of friendship?

When Wilbur the pig's life is in danger, Charlotte hatches an intelligent plan to save him using her impressive webbing skills, for no reason whatsoever except for love and friendship.

Barney and Stig - Stig of the Dump
Barney and Stig enter into each other's lives very unexpectedly in Clive King's Stig of the Dump when Barney topples over a chalk pit and falls through the roof of Stig's den.

Far from being frightened by the uncivilised caveman, Barney is intrigued and the pair soon become firm friends, despite not being able to speak the same language. They enjoy spending time together improving Stig's den, collecting supplies, going hunting and on many more adventures. Being complete opposites, their unlikely friendship brings many learning opportunities for both Barney and Stig.

Rat and Mole - The Wind in the Willows
The cultured and adventurous Rat takes shy, home-loving Mole under his wing in Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Together they go off on numerous adventures and teach each other how to see the world in new ways. They have a simple, easy friendship and merely love to spend time in each other's company.

Bruno and Shmuel - The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
John Boyne's The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is a tale of naivety and friendship. A bond blossoms between Bruno and Shmuel in the most unlikely and tragic of places. Their lives and circumstances are very different but both boys find comfort and relief in the time they spend together.

You can appreciate your best friend any time of the year, but seeming as today is Best Friends Day, why not take this opportunity to remind your best friend just how much you cherish their friendship.