Tag Archives: friendship

Catnip Mouse

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by A.J. Smith

Vera, (the cat) is playing contentedly alone with her catnip mouse and Gipp (the dog) is sneakily watching her. She notices and calls him out. He asks her to play and she makes it clear that she was playing alone. He doesn’t take no for an answer and waves around his wand (stick) which he swings around and accidentally breaks Vera’s catnip mouse. While trying to make things better, he comes up with some hilarious alliterations while trying to say ‘catnip mouse’. All of this is not hilarious to Vera, who walks away and Gipp sits dejectedly by a tree. Fortunately, Vera can’t stay angry at her friend for long and they apologize to each other. They get another magic wand (stick) and create even more silly word combos together – friendship fixed.

The boldly drawn characters are comic-like with word bubbles telling the story as a dialogue and their facial expressions helping to show their feelings. Their silly word play is illustrated along the way – envision a cattle blouse or massive louse! Endpapers hint at the storyline, with Vera playing alone with her catnip mouse (Gipp hiding in the background) at the front and both playing together happily at the end.

This is a very sweet and silly story about aspects of friendship. Sometimes, a friend just wants some alone time and it’s ok. Communication and empathy are part of being a good friend. Great for SEL discussions. Recommended.

Sam’s Super Seats

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by Keah Brown and illustrated by Sharee Miller

Sam is excited – her mom is taking her school clothes shopping at the mall with her two best friends, Sarah and Sydney. She starts the morning with her dad, singing and brushing her teeth and then saying four things that she likes about herself that day. Her mom joins in the fun and they end up downstairs where we meet Sam’s couch, Misty, names after famed African American ballerina, Misty Copeland. Sam often rests on Misty, because she has cerebral palsy and her legs get tired at times. Her other favorite seat is Laney, the jokester back seat of her mom’s car. She and her friends giggle and chat in the back seat as they head to the mall, where they try on some amazing school outfits, including Sam’s cute adaptive clothing. They take a break on a new bench called Maya and then are on their way back to Sam’s house and a final fashion show. Sam is really excited for school to start now!

Colorfully drawn illustrations enhance a story that embraces and celebrates differently abled children. Characters are diverse. Sam and her parents are Black, Sarah is Asian and Sydney is a red-haired white girl. This is a sweet story that normalizes differences. It’s a winner!

The Cozy Home: Three-and-a-Half Stories

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Ame Dyckman & Mark Teague

Three friends (Bat, Cat & Rat) are introduced in this book containing three (and a half!) short stories centered around their move into a new home. Personalities are evident from the start. Cat unpacks books and is somewhat serious. Rat unpacks a bunch of joke and prank stuff (he’s the funny one) and Bat is smart and able to turn the tables on jokester Rat in one story. Stories are short (up to sixteen pages) with simple text and few sentences on each page. This accessible book is filled with Mark Teague’s cartoon–like illustrations, colorful and bright. Young readers will feel very accomplished after reading three-and-a-half stories about three friends that live together and care about each other. Highly recommended.

Stick and Stone: Best Friends Forever!

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This picture book is a rollicking, rhyming celebration of friendship and what being a family means. Ostensibly, Stick and Stone are off looking for Stick’s family tree, but when the adventure turns from fun to frightening to hopeless Stone tells Stick that he is his family and Stick agrees.

The delightful end papers have stick sprouting leaves of many different trees, which tie in with an illustration in the book. The humor around a stick looking for his family tree, which literally is a tree, remains funny throughout. The sunny illustrations reflect the energy between the two friends. The palette temporarily becomes darker when things get tense, but returns to vibrant color after help is received from another friend. Emerging readers will be successful with the repetition and simplicity of words and the short sentence length.

This book might be an especially good fit for young children who are adopted or, for whatever reason, are unable to make a connection with their heritage or ancestry.

The Care and Keeping of Freddy

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The only thing I would change about this book is the title. I kept looking for a connection, but Freddy remained a minor character.

This story does a fabulous job of showing what can happen to kids when they are let down by adults who are supposed to care for them. Georgia’s mom leaves suddenly the same day she buys Freddy, a bearded dragon, for Georgia. She returns with a new husband and a baby over a year and a half later. Georgia is thrilled. . .or is she? Georgia’s best friend and aspiring writer, Maria has parents who happily retreat to the camper behind the garage all summer leaving her Abuela and six kids to pretty much fend for themselves. New kid in town Roland (Roly) is in foster care with the very religious Farley family because his dad is incarcerated and his mom was declared “unfit”.

These eleven and twelve year old characters come to life as the reader experiences their friendship, struggles, and adventures. Georgia’s relationship with her clearly depressed but doing-his-very-best-for-his-daughter father is especially poignant. We see the emotional roller coaster and hurt Georgia and Roly endure. Georgia is determined to get her parents back together, but then she starts noticing the not-so-great things about her mom that she had forgotten about when her mom abandoned her.

There are no easy answers for anyone in this story, but there is hard won wisdom. It is an intense, emotional ride, but well worth the trip. 

Recipe for Disaster

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by Aimee Lucido

Following her best friend’s amazing Bat Mitzvah, Hannah begins plans for her own. Hannah’s parents do not support this decision. Her mother, though Jewish, does not practice Judaism, and her father was raised Catholic. Hannah may be drawn to the Bat Mitzvah, not for the spiritual meaning, but for the glamour of the event. While Hannah explores her Jewish identity, relationships with her family members and friends take big hits and secrets are revealed. Told with plenty of humor, this middle school novel is full of drama, self-awareness, and recipes!

Chicks Rock!

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Every chick has a talent and Rocker Chick’s is music. She can play the guitar and belt out a tune better than any other chick. One day, she receives an invitation to headline a show and excitedly prepares for her big debut. On the big night, she steps on stage and freezes. Oh, no! Fortunately, her friends are there to support her using their unique skill sets. For example, Pop Chick teachers her dance moves and Artsy Chick does her makeup. My favorite is Zen Chick, who helps with stress. In the end, Rocker Chick overcomes her fear and rocks the crowd and thanks her “team”, who realize that they can achieve anything with the help of their friends.

This is a colorful, rollicking story told in rhyme. It moves along nicely and the end has a sweet message. This book is a nice addition to social-emotional collections.

Sara and the Search for Normal by Wesley King

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Seventh grader Sara Malvern wants one thing in life: to be normal. Called Psycho Sara by her classmates and a target of bullying, she battles anxiety, a bipolar disorder and depression. She continually refers to herself as being crazy. Troubled by her mental illness, she stops talking to most people, isolating herself even more. But then she meets talkative Erin in her group therapy class. Erin accepts Sara for who she is, calls her “bestie,” invites her over, and labels her a “star child.” Together these best friends build each other up using the tenets of star children. Reminiscent of Freak and Max from Freak the Mighty, this story of friendship and acceptance has the reader’s heart bleeding one moment and laughing the next. Other themes include family dynamics and abuse.

The cover is intentionally dark to represent the many dark themes in the book, but I believe the cover will keep readers from picking up the book on their own. It may need to be “sold” through book talks or by pairing it with OCDaniel by the same author.

I Got You a Present! by Mike Erskine-Kellie & Susan McLennan

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It’s a birthday party and Duck comes bearing…nothing! He tells a story of his search for the perfect gift, from socks that took six months to make (and still look pretty bad) to a a really cool rocket ship that some lost aliens needed to use to fly home. But, all is not lost! Duck has the perfect gift – this story! What could be better than a story about your favorite things and your good friend, Duck?

Fans of silly friendship stories like Elephant and Piggie will enjoy this zany duck and his mishaps as he tries to find the perfect gift for his friend. Illustrations are bright and cartoon-like. Duck is animated and engaging as he moves from gift to gift in his search for the perfect one. Recommended.

This Way, Charlie, Inspired by a real animal friendship. By Carol Levis and Charles Santoso

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Truly, a beautiful story about loyalty and friendship. The willingness to accept another with a disability and do your part to help with respect, dignity, and seamless care. “This Way Charlie” are the words used by the Goat named Jack, as he guides his blind friend, Charlie the horse. They come together at an animal sanctuary, where all the animals have a physical and/or behavior disabilities due to abuse or birth, accident, or birth defects. They learn to accept each other as is and many have created beautiful relationships with one another and humans. This beautiful story is based on a true life experience at the Wild Heart Ranch, found online at wildheartrescue.org.

The large sized picture book and bold but soft illustrations create a lovely experience as a read aloud in a group setting or reading alone to a lucky child. Highly recommended for those who love animals and actively participate in their friendships! You will want this sweet story in your library.