Anyone, young or old, who has a summer friend, enjoys the company of the family dog, cherishes their time along the shore and appreciates the differences in life that the world provides will find Sarah French’s new book, Summer Friends (Vineyard Stories, $16.95), very appealing. Ms. French, of Rowayton, Conn., and Chilmark, is not only the author but illustrator as well. Her literary and artistic abilities truly appeal to both children and adults, making this a book that any adult would be happy to read to any child, a very important factor when considering the topic.

Originally done as a handmade and sewn book, Summer Friends is now available in the traditional published format. It is the story of Minnie the Marvelous Mutt who loves to romp on the beach. Not unlike many of us, Minnie “loves the warm sand, the wind, and the smell of the ocean.” On one of her beach adventures, Minnie meets Stanley, a seal, and the two quickly become friends. Despite their differences, they swim in the ocean, which is no easy task for Minnie, and play on the beach, easier said than done for Stanley. Aware and accepting of each others strengths and weaknesses, the two put their heads together to see if they can come up with an activity that succeeds for all.

In a warmly understated way, Ms. French addresses the need for society to continue to address the issue of differences. In the past few decades, generally speaking, progressive society has concurred with Ms. French’s thoughts. Erroneously, we were originally asked to tolerate each others differences. Tolerate. Unfortunately, when one researches the definition of this particular word, one is first presented with the idea of allowing something disagreeable to exist without interference and secondly, patiently enduring an unpleasant situation. Hardly the end goal in mind.

Fortunately, tolerance slowly melded itself into acceptance, a much cleaner and deeper perspective. Accept defines itself as regarding something favorably or with approval or, and maybe even more importantly, as believing as valid or correct. Forward moving individuals, families, groups and societies have integrated these thoughts into daily life in myriad ways, depending upon their makeup. Ms. French can certainly be considered as one of the individuals who fits this recent bill.

Targeting some of the youngest of our world’s people, she plainly and comfortably shows that perhaps we can even move beyond acceptance into a state of naturally occurring curiosities where we are able to confidently state what we can and can’t do and combine strengths for a better end. Ms. French achieves all of this through a minimalist story line and remarkable artwork. Her collage style medium, based on more than 20 years of experience, is sure to engage both the young and the old. Natural colors with a familiar feel help to soften this intense subject into something to which we can all relate. Blues, greens and sandy browns bring one automatically to the shore where diversity runs rampanhe shore, where worlds apart meet and combine in a life sustaining way.

Ms. French dedicates this book to her “wonderful family...” and includes a small piece of artwork for framing.