15 Books About Friendship
for International Friendship Month
Happy International Friendship Month! Making a friend is such a monumental moment in a child’s life. Did you know that making friends is a learned behavior and an important part of child development? Three- or four-year-olds will start to seek out other children while playing. At four years old, children start playing cooperatively, meaning they’re interested in both the activity they’re doing and the other children they’re doing it with.
Learning about friendship through children’s books will help prepare your preschooler to make friends and play with them. By reading about all the new friends they’ll make and talking about the concepts in these books, you’ll help set your child up to make friends – both as a young child and throughout their life. So cuddle up together on the couch and read these wonderful storybooks about friendship that will stick with them through the years.
The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Anderson
You might know this quintessential children’s story of growing up and finding your place. Now it’s time to introduce it to your child. The little grey duck goes out into the world after being teased by his brothers and sisters and is surprised by what he finds! Help your child think about this story from the perspective of the main character in The Ugly Duckling.
Friendshape by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld
With hilarious visual puns, all crafted with four brightly colored shapes: a blue circle, a yellow square, a red rectangle, and a green triangle. This interactive book invites adults and children to read each sentence together, one per page spread, and then discover the jokes that follow. For "Friends make you feel at home," the triangle cleverly transforms into a roof, while the square becomes the house, and the rectangle a welcoming doormat. "We rolled out the red carpet for you!" exclaims the square to the circle, with the rectangle indeed playing the role of a red carpet. The book also includes clever rebus puzzles, like when the yellow square completes the phrase "Friends play fair and [square]." And the illustration for "Friends sometimes think the exact same thing at the exact same time" shows each shape engrossed in a photograph of a banana. This upbeat and adorable book sparks conversations about friendship and encourages creative play with shapes.
Five Little Dinosaurs by Michelle Courtney
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 little dinosaurs are playing in the park! Combine counting and teamwork in this story about friendship. Snuggle up and count the dinosaurs together in Five Little Dinosaurs.
A Rainbow of Friends by P.K. Hallinan
Teach your little one that friends come in all colors and sizes, in all temperaments, and with different ideas and perspectives. Friends are beautiful and unique, just like a rainbow. Friends aren’t all the same, and those differences are what make the world go round.
A Playdate for Lion by Brooke Vitale
In A Playdate for Lion, Lion is excited to have playtime with Zebra! But he quickly learns that sharing is an important part of being a good playmate. With this rhyming story, your child can model behavior for their future playdates and consider their friends’ experiences and perspectives when playing.
Llama Llama Time to Share by Anna Dewdney
Sharing is hard sometimes! Help your child learn about cooperative play with this book about regulating emotions and learning about social behavior. Llama and Nelly Gnu learn together about sharing when they both want to play with one special toy, but in the scuffle, it becomes broken. Mama Llama helps Nelly Gnu and Llama find a new activity together and how sharing makes it even more fun. Read this rhyming book with your child to learn about playtime, sharing, and making new friends.
Don’t Call Me Grumpycorn by Sarah McIntyre
Ready for a friendship adventure? Go to space with Unicorn, Narwhal, Mermaid, and Jellyfish! But when these friends can’t decide on which planet to visit, Unicorn decides to go by himself. This cute story will help your child learn that friendship is what makes everything more fun.
The Bear Who Would Not Share by Oakley Graham and Lizzie Walkley
Bear is a great baker, but he’s learning to share. When Bear makes some delicious cupcakes, his forest friends naturally want to try a bite. Will Bear learn to share? There’s only one way to find out! Read The Bear Who Would Not Share with your preschooler for the fate of the cupcakes!
Chompy Has a Friend for Lunch by Mark Satterthwaite
Chompy the monster wants to be friends. And definitely not eat people! Follow Chompy’s funny and interactive story of how he’s making friends without making lunch. Your child will be delighted by fold-out pages, silly twists and turns, and a big surprise ending.
Manners With Friends by Josh Plattner
Saying you’re sorry, giving hugs, shaking hands, smiling, playing games, having differences, and being helpful are all covered in this book for preschoolers about manners. Use this book with real photos and etiquette to open up a conversation about how to treat others.
Will You Be My Friend? By Nancy Tafuri
Bunny and Bird are neighbors in the apple tree. Bunny loves hearing Bird open her beak and sing, but they aren’t friends, just neighbors. Bird is very shy. However, Bird starts to open up when Bunny helps her reconstruct her nest after a fierce storm and invites all the forest creatures to help. Bird is shown that her new friends showed up for her when she needed help.
Cy Makes a Friend by Anne Marie Stephens
Cy, the cute and cuddly cyclops, is hatching a plan to make a friend. He loves building robots and toys at home, but he soon realizes that he’d like a real friend. At home, he feels safe and protected. In the outside world, he’ll have to make eye contact and be social, two things that worry him. This story captures the challenge of social interaction, especially for children who may feel more shy or apprehensive when it comes to making friends.
Leo + Lea by Monica Wesolowska
Inspired by the Fibonacci sequence and inspiring the structure of this lovely story, read a story about how Leo’s love of numbers lead him to become friends with the new girl, Lea. With beautiful illustrations, your child will love learning about how both our differences and similarities can bring us together to make wonderful friendships.
When a Friend Needs a Friend by Roozeboos
Aya and Oskar are good friends. They love to have adventures together, build things, and tell stories. In this story, Oskar’s feelings get so big and sad that he doesn’t want to play with Aya, leaving her hurt and confused. She wants to help her friend but doesn’t know how. Your little one will soon see that sad feelings are normal and sometimes, feelings need to be felt and not fixed.
How to Grow a Friend by Sara Gillingham
Making a friend is a challenge that we all know well. And that’s even more challenging after a big event, like starting a new school or moving to a new place. This book likens building a friendship to growing a plant. Both need time, care, and love.