oscar seeks a friend by pawel pawlak

Oscar is a skeleton and very self conscious about the way he looks. His one wish is to have a friend but, when he falls and loses a tooth, he thinks this makes him even uglier and no-one will want to befriend him. Who would like someone with a broken smile? But then Oscar meets a young girl who has also lost a tooth. She explains to him that if she plants the tooth in the earth, a friend will come. Oscar shows her his smile and asks if he can borrow her tooth. The girl agrees but on the condition that Oscar helps her find the friend she longs for. Together they journey through each other's worlds sharing their special places and secret thoughts. At the end of the day Oscar gives the tooth back as he realizes he doesn't need to be perfect and that a true friend will like you just the way you are.  The story is supported by wonderful illustrations with both worlds beautifully drawn and, even though Oscar lives in a cemetery, the colours and images in his world are not frightening at all but rather highlight the similarities to the world the young girl lives in. You can see more of Pawel's work on Instagram.