Always By My Side

A celebration of the special connection that exists between a young child and their comfort stuffed animal.

Follow a little boy as he gradually outgrows the need for the constant presence for his comforting companion--a stuffed green dinosaur. But as the stuffed animal narrates, none of us grow out of loving our favorite toys, and, perhaps, they never stop loving us back. When you need a loving hug, or a cuddle of reassurance, or just someone to play with, fuzzy creatures big and small, short and tall, will always be your friend.“Reinhardt’s (Gondra’s Treasure) story feels designed to pluck at readers’ heartstrings.” —Publishers Weekly

“A tale of devotion told from the point of view of a stuffed animal...The animal’s floppy frame instantly conjures much cuddling and love, and children will enjoy seeing it get bigger as the protagonist grows." —Kirkus ReviewsJennifer Black Reinhardt is the author and illustrator of several books for children, such as Playing Possum and Blue Ethel. She illustrated the acclaimed picture books, Gondra's Treasure, Sometimes You Fly, and Yaks Yak to name a few. When she was little, Jennifer did not have one special "always friend," but she did have a beloved menagerie of stuffed animals who would mingle and move as soon as she was sound asleep (or so she believed). Jennifer happily works on picture books in a comfortably messy studio in her home in Iowa City, Iowa. Visit her online at JBReinhardt.com.