Wanted: a Friend

This week we’re celebrating friends with two books about making friends, and one book about what it takes to keep a friend.

Theme: friendships

A Friendship Yarn 
by Lisa Moser; illus. by Olga Demidova (Illustrator)
32 pages; ages 3 - 5
Albert Whitman & Company, 2019

Badger and Porcupine met under the walnut tree and shared a pot of tea like they did every morning.

Winter weather is coming and Porcupine needs wood. Badger offers to help. So Porcupine heads off in one direction to gather logs, and  Badger heads off in another. Then a brightly colored ball of yarn falls out of a peddler’s cart. Badger decides to make a gift for Porcupine, and starts knitting at one end of the yarn. Meanwhile, Porcupine starts knitting a gift for Badger at the other end of the yarn.

This is not going to end well…

What I like about this book: I love the sounds the needles make: clickety-click, snickety-snick. I love the sound of yarn unravelling: floop, floop. Most of all I like the underlying theme: will Badger and Porcupine’s tight-knit friendship come unraveled?

Dog and Rabbit 
by Barney Saltzberg
48 pages; ages 3 - 7
Charlesbridge, 2019

Dog was fine being alone. But sometimes Dog was lonely.

Dog wants a friend. Over there is Rabbit, who also wants a friend. But Rabbit is looking for friendship from Bunny – who just ignores Rabbit. And Dog can’t get Rabbit’s attention. Will they ever get to play catch the stick or hop over small obstacles?

What I like about this book: It’s a typical friendship story about looking for friendship in the wrong place while missing a potential friend somewhere else. One of my favorite lines is, “How hard can it be to find a friend?” The short lines, repetition, and large text is perfect for “just beginning to” readers. Illustrations are simple, fun, and don’t get in the way of the words. There’s no back matter, but end papers extend the story.

Duck and Penguin Are Not Friends 
by Julia Woolf
32 pages; ages 4-8
Peachtree Publishing, 2019


This is Betty and her favorite toy, Duck. 

Best friend, Maud has a favorite plush Penguin.
Betty and Maud are best friends. Duck and Penguin are NOT! They do NOT want to swing together. They do NOT play well together in the sandbox.

While Betty paints a picture of Duck and Maud paints a picture of Penguin, the two toys are painting each other. Literally.

What I like about this book: Duck and Penguin are so relatable. Whether you’re kittens stuffed into strollers or toys dragged to play dates, there are times when you just don’t like your human’s bestie. This is a fun story about what it takes to find common ground – and what happens once you do.

Beyond the Books:

Make a friendship bracelet. All you need is some embroidery floss or thin yarn and a safety pin. Oh, and this video.

Duck may not want to be friends with Penguin, but some animals make friends with the unlikeliest species. Here’s a collection of animal friendship stories.

Today we're joining other book bloggers over at Perfect Picture Book Friday, an event where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copies and ARCs provided by the publishers.