This is a heart-warming tale of friendship between two unlikely animal characters. The use of animals in a story is classic Steig who delves into a fantasy world and leaves the human world behind. This is a great read aloud book for young children when studying the themes of friendship or survival.
The use of elaborate vocabulary also makes this a great story for independent older readers as well. Being written in the third person, the reader is able to experience the emotions of Amos. Steig illustrates this book beautifully with ink sketches and watercolor washes. Truely a terrific book!!!

Most folks are familiar with William Steig for having written Shrek. But there is soooo much more. "Dominic" and "Amos and Boris" were two of the most memorable books from my childhood. I received tham as gifts from my parents and read and re-read them countless times.
I had long since lost my copies from childhood but ordered new when I read that the author had passed away.
I approached reading them with great trepidation as I feared that they would not live up to my memory of them.
I should not have worried!
I decided to read "Amos & Boris" first as "Dominic" was my absolute favorite. I figured if I did not feel the same magic, I would avoid re-reading "Dominic" so as not to diminsh my recollection. So one afternoon, after arriving home from work, I sat down with "Amos & Boris" and began to read it out loud. By the time I was 3 pages from the end of the book, I was weeping.
These books are special beyond words and I hope that William Steig understood how much beauty he brought into the world writing them.

I just received my copy of Amos & Boris today and really love it. The story is of two unlikely friends - a mouse and a whale - that both save the other's life at different times. I love William Steig's use of big words that really challenge the young child. The pictures are simple but wonderful. I can't wait to read it to my son when he gets a little older. (He's only 6 months right now.) Buy this book for your child's personal library - you won't be disappointed.

"Amos and Boris" is one of our family's favorites, bar none. The kids (ages 9 and 7) have hundreds of books, but none touches us the way this story does. All of Steig's work is exceptional, and this story is his crowning glory. A MUST READ!! I took it into the third grade classroom as a guest reader. At the end of the story, I asked the kids to raise their hands if they liked it. 27 hands shot up!

I love this book, and feel that William Steig is one of the most underrated and insightful children's authors. I have asked many people who have children that I know whether they have read any of his books, and the usual answer I receive is "no". What literature they have been missing out on! My son really enjoys this book, and it is one of the first books with a substantial amount of text on each page that I have been able to convince him to sit still to hear (he's almost three).
The story of a mouse and whale who find solace in a most unlikely friendship is charming and very applicable to human relationships. I think this book can teach children that friendship can be found in a people who are not necessarily like ourselves...and that these friendships are often some of the most important and profound in our lives. Hopefully, children will take away from this book the message that not everyone is the same, and that so much can be valued and gained from finding friends in those who are different from all the rest.