Stick and Stone are each alone, and each are lonely until a pinecone comes along and makes fun of Stone. Stick overhears and sticks up for Stone. Need we say it’s the start of a wonderful friendship? Later, when adversity in the form of a hurricane enters the picture, it is Stone’s turn to come to Stick’s aid. Alone they were a zero (Stone) and one (Stick). Together they’re a perfect 10. Tom Lichtenheld’s pencil and watercolor illustrations make the most of the possibilities suggested by Beth Ferry’s premise, conveying poignancy, sweetness, and plenty of humor. Ferry’s rhyming text smartly varies the rhythm and pacing and is not without its surprises, not the least of which is the choice of a pinecone as adversary (one that sees the error of its ways). (Ages 4–8)