Are You My Friend?
A Raymond and Sheila Story
by Annie Fox, Illustrated by Eli Noyes
Raymond Alligator is a super smart, super shy 5-year-old who feels left out when big sister Sheila has a friend over. He and his teddy bear are tighter than tight, but lately Raymond’s wondering if he needs someone else to be his friend. Making a new friend sounds like a great idea but, well, it can also be kinda scary.
Are You My Friend? is available in print and on Kindle, in English and in Spanish: ¿Eres Mi Amigo? (Note: there is no audio soundtrack available for the Spanish edition.)
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Synopsis
Are You My Friend? is a spot-on, funny picture book sure to draw in every kid (and adult) who has ever longed to peek over the neighbor’s fence and bust out of their comfort zone. Are You My Friend? is a story for the heart and the funny bone, sure to resonate with typical 4-8 year olds, kids with special needs as well as reluctant readers.
The Raymond and Sheila series is for parents and kids to enjoy together. Included in each book is a unique Parent Guide for helping kids engage more fully in the story’s emotional content. Talking about feelings and the challenges of getting along with others builds social skills and improves parent-child communication.
Excerpt
Reviews
Cast of Characters
Raymond
“My name is R-A-Y-M-O-N-D. I’m 5 and I like to read and to build stuff but I don’t like putting stuff away. I like making my own peanut butter and banana sandwiches on toast. I like playing with Sheila, my sister. I don’t like talking to people I don’t know, but I like talking to my bear Snowball. He talks to me too! But only to me and only when no one else is around.”
Sheila
“I’m 10 and I’m thinking of changing my name to something more creative . . . like Indigo. That’s a color. Colors make really interesting names. Like Magenta or Chartreuse. Don’t they sound cool? I’m going to be an artist when I grow up. Or a dancer. Or an actress. Or someone who makes up stories and plays. Or an artist. I can’t decide.”
Ilana
“I’m Ilana Iguana, age 10½ and that’s 4 months older than Sheila. Some day I’ll be known as Queen Ilana or President Ilana. People say I’m bossy, but I AM NOT! The problem with other kids is that they’re clueless and they need me to tell them what to do. That’s not bossing, it’s being helpful. I like Sheila but not her little brother. He’s as annoying as mine!”
Iggy
“My name is Iggy and I’m 5. I like to run really fast. I also like to ride my scooter really fast and crash into things. That’s fun. So are loud burps. But my sister Ilana doesn’t like it when I do that. She is The Big Boss and always tells me to ‘BE QUIET!’ Quiet is boring! And if she likes quiet so much, why is she always yelling at me?”
Snowball
“Raymond named me Snowball because I’m round and white like a snowball, but I never melt! :O) Raymond always says I’m his best friend and favorite bear. He doesn’t have any other bears but it’s still a compliment. Raymond is my favorite boy. We discuss important things, but only Raymond knows I can talk, so please don’t tell anyone.”
Rumford Wellington
“My name is Rumford Wellington. It’s a big name for a rather small monkey, but it makes me feel important. When Iggy leaves me lying around and forgets about me, I don’t feel important at all. But when he drops me in the yard, especially in that very soggy place where the hose drip drips, I feel like singing, because I love mud.”
Credits
Author (AnnieFox.com)
Annie Fox has been teaching, writing and creating innovative content for kids for 30+ years. She’s particularly proud of The InSite—a teen Web site she created and designed to help young people with the challenges we all face growing up. Since 1997 and with no end in sight, she’s been answering online questions (as Hey Terra!) from tweens, teens and parents around the world.
When not answering Hey Terra! letters, speaking at public events, Annie enjoys yoga, meditation, making bagels, hiking, and, most of all, spending time with her husband David and their grown children.
Illustrator (AlligatorPlanet.com)
Eli Noyes’s involvement with media creation goes way back and covers a wide range of disciplines. Starting as an animator he created his own wacky brand of short films, picking up an Oscar nomination along the way. Eli’s work includes projects for Sesame Street, HBO, Scholastic, Nickelodeon, MTV, Pixar, Disney and Oxygen Media. He was co-creator of the Nickelodeon children’s television series, Eureeka’s Castle, and directed two recurring segments on MTV’s revolutionary television series, Liquid Television. He’s also known for Ruff’s Bone, a best-selling interactive CD-ROM for Brøderbund’s Living Books series.
As a director at Colossal Pictures Eli directed scores of commercials, opening titles for TV shows, and even a pilot TV game show in association with the Exploratorium. He worked with Disney/ABC Cable Networks as part of a team developing a new learning channel for kids, then moved to Oxygen Networks where he was responsible for the design and implementation of their websites
In the “swamp” at Alligator Planet, Eli continues the tradition, creating short films, directing animation for documentaries, consulting on kid’s television and web projects, and, most recently designing postage stamps for the post office. You can contact Eli through AlligatorPlanet.com
Producer/Developer (ElectricEggplant.com)
David Fox co-authored the books Computer Animation Primer, Armchair BASIC, and Pascal Primer, and then in 1982 became one of the founding members of the Games Division at Lucasfilm Ltd. (now LucasArts Entertainment Company). During his 10 years with LucasArts, he was the designer, project leader, and one of the programmers for the games Rescue on Fractalus!, Labyrinth, Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure. He also worked on Maniac Mansion as the primary script programmer.
During his last two years at LucasArts David was Manager of Entertainment Software on Mirage (a collaboration between LucasArts and Hughes Aircraft Corporation). This multi-player, networked location-based entertainment system was intended for theme parks.
When not playing with computers David enjoys science fiction, good films, photography, and hiking with Annie through the hills of Marin County, CA. You can contact David through ElectricEggplant.com
Publisher (ElectricEggplant.com)
Founded in 1992 by David and Annie Fox, Electric Eggplant has been on the forefront of multimedia design and production. But the Foxes involvement in multimedia goes back a lot further. In their 36 years of marriage, they’ve partnered on dozens of ground-breaking projects, including co-founding the Marin Computer Center (1977)—the world’s first public-access microcomputer center. They’ve also co-produced two award-winning children. The Foxes have consistently garnered kudos for their work on games, educational software, Web design, Emotional Intelligence content, online communities, as well as books for kids, tweens, and teens. David began his career in game design in 1982 as employee #3 at Lucasfilm Games (now LucasArts). During his 10 years there David’s credits include ground-breaking titles like Rescue on Fractalus!, Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (the Graphic Adventure). Annie has co-designed many award-winning games for children, including the initial titles for Humongous Entertainment (Putt-Putt), Madeline, and Mr. Potato Head Saves Veggie Valley.
Voice-over Actor (MelissaHutchison.com)
For as long as Melissa Hutchison can remember, she has been creating characters and the voices to match! Little did she know that this “gift” would land her a full time career! She has been blessed to be working in the Voice Over industry for almost 10 years. She has worked on TV commercials, children’s toys, animation, video games and a whole other schlew of things that need voicin’:) She guesses watching all those cartoons on TV actually paid off!! She currently resides in Berkeley, CA where she spends her time hiking the hills and taking trips to Yosemite.
On Are You My Friend? Melissa performs the narrator and all the character voices. Really!
Sound Designer (basound.com)
With close to 20 years of game audio experience, Julian Kwasneski of Bay Area Sound is credited on well over 100 titles spread across all genres. From the LucasArts classics such as Tie Fighter, Rebel Assault, Outlaws and Curse Of Monkey Island to other leading titles including America’s Army: Rise of a Soldier, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, James Bond: Everything or Nothing, Conan, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Sam and Max (Seasons 1 through 3) and Back To The Future, it’s no understatement to say that Julian is a game audio industry veteran. His innovative sound design has been critically acclaimed and his production techniques continue to push the boundaries of what is possible.
Julian co-founded Bay Area Sound after leaving LucasArts in the winter of 2000. Having spent 7 years as part of the in-house audio team at LucasArts, he brings an in-house perspective that one can only gain while working day-to-day at a large game company. As a result, he is intimately familiar with all aspects of game design, from conceptualization to localization. The success of his company is a direct result of this experience and his skills have provided a solid core to game audio development at Bay Area Sound.
Sound Engineer
Jory Prum (January 31, 1975–April 22, 2016), also known as Jory K. Prum, was an American audio engineer, best known for his work in film and video game sound since 1999, when he joined the LucasArts sound team.
After departing LucasArts, Jory worked as a gun-for-hire, creating sound effects, recording and manipulating voice & music, and mixing cutscenes for games such as LucasArts’ Knights of the Old Republic, Telltale Games’ Back to the Future and “Sam & Max” episodic games, Double Fine’s Brütal Legend, and Atari’s Test Drive Unlimited 2.
Jory also worked in post production audio for feature film, as well as commercials. He had experience with foley, sound design, and mixing. Some notable projects include Pixar Animation Studio’s Academy Award-winning For the Birds, Focus Features’ Academy Award- and Golden Globe-winning Lost in Translation, and Sony Pictures’ Academy Award- and Golden Globe-winning Adaptation.