Tag Archives: friendship

Sam’s Super Seats

Posted on by

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

Posted on by

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!

Posted on by

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

Posted on by

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

Posted on by

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!

Posted on by

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

Posted on by

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

Posted on by

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

Posted on by

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.

Night of the Zombie Zookeeper

Posted on by

Desmond and his friend, Andres, have great plans for their class field trip to the zoo. Desmond has mapped out the best places to go and when they should be there. Their plans are derailed, though, when they discover a zookeeper that is a zombie. How do they know that he’s a zombie? His greenish skin is a big clue. But, as they follow him (and not their planned route), they see him in the seal tank cleaning the windows without an air tank! Then, he goes into the lion enclosure and feeds the lions by hand. There’s more evidence, but it’s clear already that they have a zombie on their hands. And, why do they care? Desmond and Andres are the Ghost Patrol and they need answers.

They locate a more normal looking zookeeper and tell her about her zombie co-worker. She seems unusually unconcerned about it and sends them away to the picnic area with their class. But, the Ghost Patrol is undeterred. They have a few more crazy encounters with the zombie. He saves Andres from a nasty peacock and his friends, the buffalo and then accidentally tosses slimy animal food all over Andres before saving him from the hungry animals that want to lick all their food off him. Finally, Peggy (the normal zookeeper they spoke with earlier) explains that she knows that “Zoombie” the zookeeper is a zombie. Apparently, zombies make the best zookeepers, because they can clean underwater without air and aren’t grossed out by the nasty food or animal waste they have to clean up. And, the animals love them!

So, Desmond and Andres solve the mystery of the zombie zookeeper and make a new friend in the process. Now, whenever they go to the zoo, they look up Zoombie and he makes sure they have a great time with the animals.

This fun, slightly creepy book will be a hit with the younger crowd. Black and white illustrations add to the mood and the text is accessible. The characters are diverse and likable and the first person narrative (Andre) makes the reader feel as if he is a pal wandering around and chasing zombies with the Ghost Patrol. Recommended.

Click

Posted on by

Fifth grade Olivia has many friends and can float easily between groups. One day, Mr. Florez (her teacher) announces the date for the annual fifth grade Variety Show. The students excitedly discuss ideas for their acts and form pairs and groups. That is where the problems begin for Olivia – none of her friends ask her to join their acts! Olivia realizes at that moment that while she has lots of different friends and friend groups, she does not have a best friend. It just hasn’t ‘clicked’ for her.

This dilemma throws her into a panic and she begins to feel isolated and alone. She turns to her family. Her mom wants to fix things for her, which is never a good idea (in a kid’s mind). Help really comes in the form of her rather hip aunt, who has Olivia over for an aunt/niece sleepover and shows Olivia videos of old television variety shows. Aunt Molly also shares her school talent show experience, when she did a solo act and felt great about it. Olivia studies the old shows, thinks about her aunt’s youthful experience and determines the best route for herself.

She returns to school and, as Mr. Florez notes student acts, announces to the class and her teacher that she wants to host the fifth grade Variety Show. Her classmates embrace this idea and her family supports her as she takes on this challenge. When asked how she even thought of the idea of hosting, Olivia replied that it jut “clicked”. In the following days, she and her friends reconnect and she happily moves between friend groups, sometimes introducing them to each other with fun results. The story ends on the night of the Variety Show as Olivia takes the stage and the curtain opens.

This is a wonderful book with a story that many kids of this age can relate to on many levels. Friendships are difficult to navigate and understand and the feeling of isolation can happen on any given moment for the tween crowd. Olivia’s emotions are clearly visible as she grapples with this problem – dreaming about it, thinking about it and talking about it with her family. The beauty of the solution is that is comes from herself. Her aunt gives her some information and Olivia works through it all and is confident in her plan and place.

Illustrations are pen and ink with muted colors and the characters are diverse. Fans of Smile and Best Friends will love this first book in the series.

Max and Marla are Flying Together

Posted on by

Max, a young boy, and Marla, a barn owl, are best friends. One day, Max decides to build a kite and he draws his face on it, so that he and Marla can “fly together”. Marla is not interested and he soon discovers that she is afraid to fly. They go to bed that night, each dreaming different dreams – Max dreams of Marla flying next to his kite and Marla dreams of Max and she quietly sitting together on the couch.

The next morning, they see leaves everywhere after the night’s storm. They go outside to rake the leaves and find his kite, which Marla finds when a gust of wind lifts it into the air with her on it! With Max’s shouts of encouragement, Marla takes flight and realizes that she is a natural. They triumphantly head to bed that night, both dreaming of Marla flying next to Max’s kite. And, they wake up to do just that!

This very sweet story of friendship, fears and gentle encouragement is accompanied by beautiful pen and ink illustrations that flow beautifully with the story. Buy this book (and the others in the set) and share it with all your students.

What is Inside This Box?

Posted on by

Monkey has a box and tells his friend, Cake, that there is a cat inside. This cat is magic, though. If the box is opened, he disappears! Cake questions this logic and he and Monkey have a spirited discussion about it. Cake is sure that there is no cat in the box, because there is a magic dinosaur in the box. And, this dinosaur disappears when the box is opened. The two friends eventually determine that they will never really know and walk away toward some pie. After they leave, a cat peeks out of the box and rides away on a dinosaur’s back.

This cute nod to Schrodeinger’s cat has simple illustrations on uncluttered pages, reminiscent of Mo Willem’s Elephant & Piggie. The text is dialogue and each character has a different color of speech bubble, making it easy for the reader to determine who is speaking at any given time. The friendship is real and they can agree to disagree in an amicable fashion, which is a lesson in itself. Early readers will enjoy the story and the characters and wonder themselves about the contents of the box!

Snail & Worm: All Day

Posted on by

Snail and Worm star in three lovely stories in this sweet picture book for early readers. In Best Day Ever, Snail defines a “good day” very differently. His day didn’t go too well, but others had wonderful experiences and he was happy for them; hence, the best day ever! The Spooky Cave is a story about a dragon…er, turtle, that scares Snail enough to cause him to ‘run’ away even though Worm tries to tell Snail that the animal is really a turtle. And, the third story is A Bedtime Story that highlights the sweet relationship of these two friends. The pen and watercolor illustrations lend themselves to the simple story line quite well. Characters’ emotions are displayed and add to the humor of the book.

Give this book to readers who enjoy friendship stories like Elephant and Piggie or Frog and Toad. Snail & Worm have the same sweet, loyal friendship and will be a welcome addition to your collection.

My Little Pony : Friendship is Magic.Vol. 11

Posted on by

Shining Armor and Cadance share the story of their meeting and romance in school (and eventual marriage) with his little sister and her friends. Shining Star was a ‘nerd’ and Cadance was a popular pony, who appeared to be headed to the dance with the awful polo team captain. Shining Star’s friends are there to help him achieve his dream of taking Cadance to the dance and they devise elaborate plans…all of which fail miserably. The book ends on a cliffhanger and we don’t know how they end up at the dance together. We have to read the next book in the series to finish the story.

This graphic novel is colorful and is varied in number of panels per page, which moves the story along nicely. Colors are vibrant and the ponies are as over-the-top sparkly and glamorous as they are in their television shows. It should appeal to young readers. But, beware – you won’t be able to get away with buying just one volume. Be prepared to purchase the series, because your students will demand to know how the story ends!

Penguinaut!

Posted on by

Poor Orville! All his friends at the zoo are bigger and have more adventures than him. So, he decides to go on a really, really big adventure. He is going to fly to the moon! He plans and builds and has some disasters, but he keeps working until he makes the perfect rocket. He says goodbye to his friends and flies to the moon, where he jumps, dances and has the best adventure all by himself! He feels a little lonely and finds a note from his friends. He flies back to earth where he has the greatest adventure of all – being with his friends.

This is a sweet story about friendship and perseverance (and a penguin). The illustrations are simple and the text flows well and becomes a part of the illustration (“Orville was small. His friends were BIG.”). While the story is really about friendship; it also introduces the concept of perseverance as Orville tries, fails and tries again until he successfully flies to the moon. The end is wonderful and students will agree that adventures are best with friends.

I Just Ate My Friend

Posted on by

Yes, he just ate his friend. So, the not-very-scary monster (even though he ate his friend) looks for a new one. Unfortunately, he’s either too big, too small, too scary, et cetera, et cetera, for all the monsters he encounters. Just when he’s about to give up, a lovely teal monster agrees to be his friend and…eats him! Readers will enjoy this darkly humorous story which is simply told and not very scary. It might lead to a wonderful discussion about how we really should treat our friends. Not eating them would be the first thing, right?

How I Learned to Fall out of Trees

Posted on by

Edward and Adelia have been friends for a very long time and now she has to move. So, they gather many of their favorite things as Adelia explains to Edwin that she is going to teach him to climb a tree and fall. As she is explaining the steps to climbing (and falling from) a tree, she is also teaching Edwin to say goodbye. And, at the end, he does fall out of the tree onto all the things they used and collected and he has a smile on his face, because “Adelia made certain that falling was the easiest part of all” and saying goodbye wasn’t too painful.

This is a very sweet book that gently moves along to the day Adelia leaves and Edwin climbs her tree and let’s go (in more ways than one). Pictures are bright and the characters are sweet. While the underlying message of letting go of one’s friend might be missed by readers, the books is still a very sweet friendship story and will open up discussions about friendships.

Nobody Hugs a Cactus

Posted on by

Hank was the epitome of a prickly cactus. He was grumpy, mean and wanted to be alone. He grumps at all manner of possible friends, from tumbleweed to coyote, until a cowboy strolls by and says “Nobody hugs a cactus”. It is at that moment that Hank wonders if a hug might be a nice thing to have. He goes from grumpy and mean to sad and lonely. One day, a cup flies by in the breeze and gets stuck on his face and he can’t get it off. Fortunately, Rosie the tumbleweed tumbles by and knocks it off. Her act of kindness kindles a yearning for friendship and reciprocity. So, Hank grows a lovely little flower to thank Rosie. When she next tumbles by he reaches out to give it her and she hugs him. Oops, he’s a cactus and can’t let go of Rosie! But, Hank decides that “…it’s better to be stuck in a hug than stuck all alone”.

This pictures in this lovely book are done in earth tones with water color. The characters are typical of a desert – cactus, tumbleweed, tortoise, hare, coyote and cowboy. Interestingly, one can see (and believe) the emotions playing out on the cactus’ face as he transforms from a grumpy guy to a friendly hug-lover. Students will enjoy his change of heart and hope that the other characters come back for hugs, too!

Mallory McDonald, Super Sitter

Posted on by

Mallory and her friend, Chloe Jennifer, agree to take a job with Mallory’s new next door neighbors, the Goldmans. They will babysit twin five year old boys for two hours each day after school for three weeks. The girls are excited about the prospect and things go well until the twins decide to have some real fun – jumping off the the outdoor toy and coloring on the walls. Mallory is also feeling a time squeeze as her homework builds up and she has no time to put together a cool poem for the upcoming poetry slam.

Things start to fall apart for Mallory until she learns to manage her time and be responsible for commitments. Along the way, she has some rather painful experiences and discovers that she can finish what she starts even when the going is tough. This is a nice, sweet book for those would-be babysitters out there – although it might scare them off! Recommended

Field Tripped

Posted on by

Fifth graders Eddie, Aaron and their classmates from Liberty Falls Elementary School are on a field trip to the town’s famous inventor’s home – Minks’ Mansion. Eddie, a Minks descendant, has a plan and map. He wants to find hidden inventions that might help his family keep their home. The original Mr. Minks donated his mansion and inventions to the town of Liberty Falls when he died several generations ago. There is another mystery as well. Jessie overhears the tour guide and his helper talking about moving the inventions and believes they plan to steal everything. She just needs to convince her classmates that this is a real thing.

The students, their teacher and principal are touring the mansion and barn when a huge snowstorm hits and forces them to stay the night. Unfortunately, the group is split up and all the adults end up in the barn with a class, while the other class stays in the mansion without adult supervision. Not surprisingly, mayhem ensues. Students get lost, break inventions, scare each other, have a snowball fight and catch a couple of thieves…actually, an innocent tour guide and a principal.

In the end, there is a perfectly good explanation for everything, new friends are made and a mean girl gets her comeuppance. Along the way, the students discover their strengths and make some crazy discoveries of their own.

Each chapter is told in a student’s voice and switches between four different students: Eddie, Jessie, Chloie and Aaron. It takes some time to differentiate between the students. But, as the story unfolds, their voices are stronger and more easily determined. The adults are goofy and the terrible puns are somewhat painful. This is a light, humorous adventure, with a touch of mystery. Additional purchase

Pug Meets Pig

Posted on by

Pug has the good life – a great home, yard, food and a bed. Things are going great until the day a Pig moves in. All of sudden, life isn’t so great as the Pig takes over all of Pug’s stuff! Well, life isn’t too good until a doggy door is put into the house door and Pig doesn’t fit. Suddenly, life is great. Except…Pig is sad! So, Pug decides to help him by gnawing through the doggy door to make a larger Pig door and the (now) friends are together and having fun.

This is a sweet little story with simple illustrations and text. There are many books out there with animal friendships. But, pugs are popular and and who doesn’t love a cute pig? Buy it if you need to refresh your dog picture books.

Confusion is Nothing New

Posted on by

Ellie’s mom is dead and Ellie is mad. She is mad that she never looked for the mother that left a few months after Ellie was born. She is mad that her dad never wanted to talk about her mom. And, she’s mad that her mom never really reached out to her.

But, she has a shoebox of mixed tapes, cd’s and odd items that her mom had apparently sent to her a year before. So, she and her band friends try to find out who this woman was that had been Ellie’s mom. She discovers so much along the way, most importantly that she is surrounded by loving friends and a dad that is her champion. Oh, and there are so many 1980’s songs mixed in that the reader will be compelled to turn up the stereo and sing along to some Cindy Lauper, et al.

This story is a fast -paced read with likeable characters who behave just like one would expect as they work together to put together who Ellie’s mom really was. Fortunately, there is believable closure for all as Ellie figures out who really matters to her. Recommended

Pen Pals

Posted on by

Oscar the ant and Bill the octopus become pen pals through their respective school and enjoy a year of writing letters to each other (and sometimes sending little gifts as well). Each animal is pictured sitting at his desk with the letter to his new friend on the opposing page. Oscar’s letters are blue and Bill’s are yellow, helping the reader keep track of who’s writing which letter. Along the way, the pen pals send each other little gifts that show up in the other’s room on the next page. And the surprise at the end…read it and find out!

This book brings reminds us of the fun of writing and sending letters. There is a wondrous pleasure in eagerly waiting for the response from your pen pal. The drawings are simple and clean with pops of color. All in all, this is a fun story that will encourage readers to consider writing some letters of their own.

Percy, Dog of Destiny

Posted on by

Percy, an energetic little dog with a cute black eye-patch, is on his way to the dog park with his beloved ball. There, he meets up with his friends: Molly, Fluffy and Oatmeal Raisin Cookie and they do all kinds of doggie things. What can be more fun than running along a fence, digging holes, sniffing and peeing on trees with your best friends? There is a problem…a terrible squirrel, who steals Percy’s ball. But, what ho! Fluffy puts his bone down long enough to save the day and save Percy’s ball. The day is saved as the four friends, special toys in mouths, walk away and the end.

This story uses spare text and lots of white space around the penciled drawings to engage the youngest readers. The energy of Percy and his friends is apparent in the illustrations and readers will enjoy the silliness of these canines as they spend their day at the dog park. Recommended