Happy was an international hit that showed off Mies van Hout's uncanny ability to convey feelings with her vibrant illustrations.
With Friends she goes one step further and shows emotional interactions. Just as she made the fish of Happy uniquely hers, here she uses monsters to show different situations--they cuddle, laugh, play, but they also fight, tease and more--making the images recognizable for little monsters of all ages. 

Praise for Happy: "a delightful amuse-bouche of a book" – Publishers Weekly, starred review " Mies van Hout's Happy is a tour de force of underwater awesomeness and emotion, showcasing what an artist can do with a few pastels, black paper and something fundamental to express...On the last page, a gloriously plump whalelike creature surges upward, ending the book with a surprising sense of closure: "delighted." No reader could feel otherwise.’ – The New York Times Book Review"The line, color, and texture make each page a pleasure to return to, and each single word is fully expressed in its corresponding picture. Along with the azure-and-sky-blue ovoid fish at the end, readers will pronounce themselves, in yellow, white and green letters, 'delighted.'" Kirkus