I Have a Friend: Keiko Narahashi

""I have a friend who lives in my house,'' says the small boy who narrates this simple story. His shadow friend follows him down the street and to the park; they ``hip-hop down the stairs'' and swim together at the beach. Sometimes the shadow ``is short and fat. And sometimes he is so tall he can touch the treetops.'' After disappearing at night, the shadow returns each morning with the sun, because ``he is yesterday's night left behind for the day.'' The stylized shadow has white slits for eyes and dances forth in varied sizes and shapessometimes in a realistic depiction of the child's movements, sometimes taking on an independent pose. Literal-minded readers may object to this approach, but the book remains an intriguing, poetic introduction to the world of shadows. Ages 4-8. (August)