"Emma loses a favourite toy but gains a true friend. When Emma loses Squeezy, her favourite stuffy, she bravely tries to get by without her best-loved "pet." It's hard. No one else is exactly like Squeezy, and for Emma, Squeezy was perfect. But what she ends up discovering is unexpected friendship, and that two imaginations are better than one. This touching, smart story of lost-and-found treasures is a great reminder that things don't always go as planned but they can turn out better than expected. And when Emma realizes that new friendship is possible with some compromise, she finds her way to Frank -- who in fact has always been there. Emma and Frank find in each other a friend who is enough like themselves to be a perfect fit, and original enough to be just right. In another perfect pairing, Ruth Ohi's delightful art effortlessly brings through the layers in Ted Staunton's nuanced text. Each excels at delivering a deeply felt message that belies their light touch. A Friend Instead will be an often-requested read-aloud that promises new discoveries on repeat readings."--