Jeremy's mother encourages him to make friends with a new student from Japan who is learning English. Includes instructions on how to make an origami snowflake and bird. Gr. 2-4. A Japanese boy, Taka, joins Jeremy's class, but the language barrier isolates him. Jeremy tries to befriend Taka but is discouraged by the boy's unresponsiveness. When their teacher hands out paper for making snowflake mobiles, Taka uses the sheets for folding origami figures. Intrigued, Jeremy asks Taka to teach him, and, slowly, their friendship begins. In addition to the origami element, a haiku theme runs through the book, as Jeremy's classmates struggle to compose poems in 17 syllables; eventually Jeremy writes a pleasing haiku that confirms his friendship with Taka. Many children's books avoid any mention of religion, and those that insert it sometimes sound heavy-handed. Berry weaves it into the story in scenes between Jeremy and his mother, who urges him not to give up on befriending Taka, any more than God gives up on loving him. Written with grace and simplicity, this short chapter book depicts small, everyday choices that children make to give support or to put each other down. The final pages offer instructions for two craft projects: a paper snowflake and an origami bird. Carolyn Phelan Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved