Best Friend in the Whole World

In this sweet and moving picture book, debut author-illustrator Sandra Salsbury explores friendship, compassion, loss, and the transformative power of connection.

Roland lives a quiet life filled with art, music, and tea parties for one. It’s a nice life, but sometimes he feels rather lonely. And then one day, Roland finds the perfect companion.

Milton may just be a pine cone, but they have so much in common. Milton also happens to enjoy drawing, listening to music, and drinking tea. And he’s also alone.

But there are signs in the woods suggesting that someone else might be missing their best pine cone friend. Suddenly, Roland doesn’t know if he truly cured his loneliness or if he just passed it on to someone else.

Sandra Salsbury received the 2018 SCBWI Don Freeman Illustration Grant. She has a BFA and MFA in Illustration from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and lives in Berkeley, California, where she cares for numerous house plants and a software engineer. She enjoys hiking, snooping at open houses, and telling people what to do on the internet.