Book Review :: The Blessings of Friendship Treasury by Mary Engelbreit

The Blessings of Friendship Treasury by Mary Engelbreit is a sweet, beautifully illustrated book about friendship. 

Now - just so my review comes across with proper background: I do enjoy Mary Engelbreit's illustrations but I am not one of her big fans with her decorations and art all over my home. (Actually, this book is the first Mary Engelbreit thing I own, I believe.) Also, I have never really understood the idea of friendship books. I love my friends, but I have never thought about buying a book about friendship for one of them. 

With that being said, I truly enjoyed this book. I really enjoyed the variety of quotes in The Blessings of Friendship Treasury. There is a good mix of short and long quotes, and I also am appreciative of the Bible quotes that were included. (It even has "Hug O' War" by Shel Silverstein.)

On the back of the dust jacket, The Blessings of Friendship Treasury is referenced as a Juvenile Nonfiction book for ages 4-8. I am not sure I agree with the classification, but that doesn't change the fact that I enjoyed this book. I did feel that the content of this book would be more appreciated by adults (and perhaps some older children), but the illustrations will surely be enjoyed by any age.

Obviously, this book is by Mary Engelbreit...so the illustrations are fantastic. There are so many pages that would make a great framed piece of art - it may be worth getting an extra copy just to cut up and frame. 

I would have liked to see a bit more diversity in the illustrations in regard to ethnicities (and physical conditions). Out of the people depicted in the illustrations throughout the book, 90% are white while only 10% are other ethnicities (mostly black). (That does not include the front cover illustration.) For those who may be curious, there are some males depicted, but the majority of the people in the illustrations are female (at least 80%). There is one illustration with a girl in a wheelchair.

Overall, this is a fantastic book and would be great as gifts for friends - both as a book and as individual framed pieces of art.

FTC Declaration: The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy. This does not change the fact that I will give my honest opinion in my reviews.