Friends

August 1, 2022
Friendship has many faces. What's a friend? This sweet, gentle look at friendships describes how they're formed, developed, maintained, and/or lost. What's interesting about friendships is how different they are: There are almost as many ways to describe friendships as there are people to create them. Friendships may be fleeting, but they can also "last a lifetime." They can endure when friends are near or far apart. You can make friends with a sibling or even, wordlessly, with a pet. Friendships can end through words hurled at another in anger. Friendships evoke and test emotions, and they teach. The story, narrated in simple, warm, easily comprehended prose, speaks to children where they are and may provoke further discussions about friendship. The notions of imaginary friends and finding new pals because of shared, mutual interests will especially resonate. Children may also be intrigued by the possibility of friendships that might have been but never were, as in the illustration depicting two children staring at each other, one in a subway car, the other standing outside on the station platform. The final message is most reassuring: A new friend may arrive when you least expect it; just wait and "look closer." The charming, colorful illustrations depict children who are diverse in terms of race and ability. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A delightful springboard to stimulate creative ideas and spark conversations about interpersonal relationships. (Picture book. 4-8)

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