Little Bea has a pretend friend, Nye-Nye, who has red hair, green wings, and sticky-out teeth. Together they have lots of fun, but Little Bea can decide just when Nye-Nye appears and plays with her. Little Bea and her parents have a grown-up friend, Big Jay, who has a different kind of 'pretend friends'. His friends are not kind, and they don't go away when he wants them to. This excellent picture book explains to young children the differences in having a jolly play-like character that they know is not real and having to put up with pretend people who are equally not real but seem so to those who suffer from them. Aimed at children who have contact in their lives with people suffering from schizophrenia or psychosis or other forms of serious mental illness, this explains in easy to understand terms just why kindness and understanding, along with 'special medicines' and healthy living, can help those who suffer. Little Bea and her parents take Big Jay on a healthy picnic in the fresh air, and Little Bea decides to make Nye-Nye into a giant pretend friend, who can scare Big Jay's terrible pretend friends away, but her mother explains that this won't be possible, and that they must do their best to be a true friend to him in every way they can - to 'love him exactly as he is'. The illustrations, people with huge eyes, long arms and expressive faces, help the information along greatly, as does the accessible text. An unusual story about a serious problem not often explained to younger children and hence a most welcome addition to the literature. Available from good book shops, from Amazon, or from the publisher: www.jkp.com.