Poem in
What Is a Friend?
Carmela's poem, "Sidekicks," is one of 41 ekphrastic poems featured in What Is a Friend? edited by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong and released by Pomelo Books. See below for a graphic of the poem and the photo that inspired it.
The poems in What Is a Friend? are meant to guide readers in grades 3 and up in reaching out, sharing themselves, asking for help, giving support, and just having fun. The poems also show how friends come in many forms; we can find them in our families, at school, on sports teams, through community service, on vacation, in pets, in nature — and even in ourselves.
The book was named a Children's Book Council "Hot Off the Press" Selection for October 2022. As with the Pomelo Books "Things We ..." series, 100% of the profits from sales of What Is a Friend? will be donated to the IBBY Children in Crisis Fund (IBBY.org).