If you are reading this, you are most likely familiar with Ben Loory. He writes short stories that aren’t quite possible and yet remind you of something that happened to you way back when. You might have read his book, Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day, or the short story that was in the New Yorker. You may have seen the youtube video of Ben reading his story about a duck who falls in love with a rock. You might be one of the writers who have e-mailed him asking for help and received a response back full of good, sound advice. (Like the much missed Ray Bradbury, Ben, if he has the time and opportunity, Ben will write back if you write to him. Ben’s an upstanding kind of guy.)

Ben’s latest is a children’s book, The Baseball Player and the Walrus. The story is about a lonely baseball player who becomes best friends with a walrus. It’s a beautiful discussion of friendship, loneliness, and the consequences of relationships.

Buy it. Read it to your daughter or son. Give it to somebody you love as a birthday gift. They’ll love it too.