I hold a Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults. In addition to the usual two-year program, I studied an extra semester, where I read all the best children’s books about friendship. I wanted to learn how the great authors such as A. A. Milne, James Marshall, and Arnold Lobel wrote stories full of so much heart and humor. My love of friendship stories burgeoned from there. And now, it’s with great delight that I offer you my Best Children’s Books About Friendship—and, of course, my very own friendship story, Big Bear and Little Fish.
Bear Loves Being Big. At the carnival, she wants to win a teddy bear as big as she is. Instead, she wins a fish. A very little fish. Bear doesn’t quite know what to do. She worries and makes lots of assumptions. But with the help of Fish, Bear learns that although she and Fish are different, they are also a little the same.
Gentle, accessible prose by Sandra Nickel is paired with richly textured illustrations by Il Sung Na in this sweet story about accepting others for who they are.
George and Martha, two very large hippos, are so unique they are a delight to read about. Martha loves making split pea soup, pots and pots of split pea soup. She loves looking at herself in the mirror and even wakes up during the night to look at herself. George likes to peek in windows. You can imagine these traits aren’t the most friend-winning qualities around. But George and Martha talk things out. They set each other straight. And best of all, they are always there for each other. I feel all warm and glowy every time I read about them, and I bet your young readers will too.
In this picture book classic that belongs on every reader's shelf, two lovable hippos impart funny lessons on the true meaning of friendship.
Like all best friends, George and Martha do everything together. George and Martha teach each other (and adoring readers) that even in a close friendship, privacy is important, practical jokes can sometimes backfire, and among other things, pouring split pea soup into your loafers to spare the chef’s feelings is not the best-laid plan.
A man with a talent for friendship, James Marshall defined its very essence in his stories about the world’s two best friends. Each…
I also feel all warm and glowy when I read Frog and Toad are Friends! Toad is a bit of a grump, it’s true. But Frog is normal as normal can be and a wonderful example of how great friends act. He loves Toad as only a best friend can, and he would do anything for him. My favorite of the five chapters is “The Letter.” By secretly writing a letter to Toad, Frog turns Toad’s sad waiting-for-a-letter time into the best part of the day. It is, truly, what friendship is all about.
This beautiful commemorative picture book edition of the Caldecott Honor title Frog and Toad Are Friends is the perfect way to celebrate Frog and Toad's 50th anniversary!
This handsome edition features matte paper, remastered artwork, and a green ribbon book marker. It makes a lovely gift for collectors, fans of children's literature, and anyone and everyone who loves Frog and Toad!
First published in 1970, Frog and Toad Are Friends was the first of the four beloved Frog and Toad books. This special edition contains all of the original stories-from the story about going swimming, to finding lost buttons!
For me, Winnie-The-Pooh is the quintessential ensemble friendship story. The Hundred Acre Wood is populated with such distinct characters. A bear with very little brain. A bossy rabbit. A scared of nearly everything piglet. A gloomy donkey. A not as smart as he thinks he is owl. And, yet each of these very different characters accepts the other as he is. Well, perhaps Rabbit doesn’t, not all the time. But he does come around in the end. These friends, along with Christopher Robin and Kanga and Roo, create ten of the most beautiful friendship stories ever written. Although Disney did a lovely job animating them, there is nothing quite like cuddling with a small one and reading this book together.
An award-winning production, with an all-star cast including Stephen Fry and Judi Dench, brings to life one of the best-loved children's books of all time.
Packed full of fun and adventure with Winnie-the-Pooh and all his friends in the Hundred Acre Forest. This is a wonderful dramatisation of Winnie-the-Pooh with original music. This captivating adaptation conveys all the magic and humour of AA Milne's classic stories.
The cast includes the following stars:
Pooh - Stephen Fry Piglet - Jane Horrocks Eeyore - Geoffrey Palmer Kanga (and Narrator) - Judi Dench Roo - Finty Williams Rabbit - Robert Daws Owl -…
The Lion and the Bird is the perfect friendship book for quiet times, for easing into the day after just waking up or for calming down when it’s time to say goodnight. Adults and children alike, will be drawn into this sweet story, where the lion discovers an injured bird, nurses it back to health, then waits for it to return the next year. The combination of the gentle text with the charming illustrations makes my heart swell every time.
One autumn day, a lion finds a wounded bird in his garden. With the departure of the bird's flock, the lion decides that it's up to him to care for the bird. He does and the two become fast friends. Nevertheless, the bird departs with his flock the following autumn. What will become of Lion and what will become of their friendship? Note: some pages in this book are intentionally blank to represent snow. Marianne Dubuc received her degree in graphic design from the University of Quebec, Montreal. She has created many different kinds of books for readers of all…
Frank and Bean opens with Frank, who visits the great outdoors to find peace and quiet. Then, Bean shows up. He is literally a one bean band, with a drum, trumpet, triangle and more. Needless to say, they don’t initially hit it off. But then it gets dark, and fears bring them together. Before you know it, they are making beautiful music together. The text is full of wry humor presented with a wink for adults, while the illustrations are pitched perfectly to make five- to eight-year-old readers giggle along. I love this friendship story because it’s so much fun to read out loud.
When the introspective Frank meets the gregarious Bean, can they find a way to make beautiful music together? Dry wit and hilarious illustrations introduce a new unlikely pair.
Frank likes peace and quiet. He likes his tent, his pencil, and writing in his secret notebook. Bean likes noise. He likes his bus, his trumpet — toot, toot! — and making music. Loud music. But Bean is missing something: he does not have words. What will happen if Frank shares his words with Bean? With a laugh-out-loud narrative by Jamie Michalak, author of the Joe and Sparky series, and Bob Kolar’s…
I have always loved reading and its ability to take you far away to a distant time and place and lift you up. As a kid, I never left the house without a book, and the ones that made me laugh were my go-to's. I believe the ability to make people laugh is a truly special talent, especially while making the text relatable, so the reader’s always asking, wow, what would I do in that situation? My readers often tell me that my writing sounds just like me, which is wonderful because there’s no need to pretend. You will always know what you’ll get with me!
A heart-warming and hilarious novel about the highs and lows of marriage, fraud, and goat’s cheese.
Libby Popovic is a country girl who’s now living a golden life in Bondi with her confident financier husband Ludo, and their two children. When Ludo is jailed for financial fraud, and Libby’s friends and family lose tens of thousands of dollars as a result, she feels agonisingly complicit.
Matters go from atrocious to worse when her possessions and home are repossessed, Libby is sacked, and a priceless family heirloom is wrecked. While camping out at the family goat farm, Libby must re-evaluate her life choices. How will she crawl out of financial ruin? Can she make amends? And can she save her family from falling apart?
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