“Clara and Asha” by Eric Rohmann

CLARA AND ASHA by Eric Rohmann, was published by Roaring Brook Press in 2005.

Clara has an imaginary friend who is a giant fish named Asha. Which seems really random. I mean, why a giant fish?

But then we see how they “met.”

Clara’s inspiration for this imaginary friend is a statue/fountain. This explains the large size of the fish.

It’s common for an imaginary friend to be based on a toy or stuffed animal. But a statue? That’s pretty different, and I have to give props to Eric Rohmann for coming up with this.

What imaginary friends or characters did you create when you were a kid? Were any of them based on something out of the ordinary?

And be sure to pick up Eric Rohmann’s picture books!