What do you think?
Rate this book
Making Friends Is an Art!
Meet Brown, the least used pencil in the box. He's tall, geeky and lonely. In her trademark clever and humorous fashion, Julia Cook teaches kids (and adults!) how to practice the art of friendship and getting along with others.
32 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2012
3 people are currently reading
252 people want to read
About the author
Julia Cook
150 books197 followers"In order to teach children, you must enter their view of the world."
~ Julia Cook
JULIA COOK, M.S. is a national award winning children’s author, counselor and parenting expert. She has presented in thousands of schools across the country and abroad, regularly speaks at national education and counseling conferences, and has published children’s books on a wide range of character and social development topics. The goal behind Cook’s work is to actively involve young people in fun, memorable stories and teach them to become lifelong problem solvers. Inspiration for her books comes from working with children and carefully listening to counselors, parents, and teachers, in order to stay on top of needs in the classroom and at home. Cook has the innate ability to enter the worldview of a child through storybooks, giving children both the “what to say” and the “how to say it”.
~ Julia Cook
JULIA COOK, M.S. is a national award winning children’s author, counselor and parenting expert. She has presented in thousands of schools across the country and abroad, regularly speaks at national education and counseling conferences, and has published children’s books on a wide range of character and social development topics. The goal behind Cook’s work is to actively involve young people in fun, memorable stories and teach them to become lifelong problem solvers. Inspiration for her books comes from working with children and carefully listening to counselors, parents, and teachers, in order to stay on top of needs in the classroom and at home. Cook has the innate ability to enter the worldview of a child through storybooks, giving children both the “what to say” and the “how to say it”.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
July 4, 2020
I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.
Brown doesn't know what his unique quality is to be a great friend. All the other colours from the crayon box have a unique quality that makes them a great friend except him.
Brown asks all the other crayons how he can be a great friend and find out what his unique quality is. They help guide him to recognise his quality's and make new friends.
This is a really lovely book for children to help them understand about friendship, being kind and helpful and treating people kindly and understand the importance of friendship.
Brown doesn't know what his unique quality is to be a great friend. All the other colours from the crayon box have a unique quality that makes them a great friend except him.
Brown asks all the other crayons how he can be a great friend and find out what his unique quality is. They help guide him to recognise his quality's and make new friends.
This is a really lovely book for children to help them understand about friendship, being kind and helpful and treating people kindly and understand the importance of friendship.
June 3, 2020
"To have good friends, you need to know how to be a good friend.”
A cute and simple picture book that teaches young readers and listeners that we ALL have something of worth to offer in friendship. This little book also shows the importance of making and keeping friends. It reminds us to be our best selves.
As a parent I am also appreciative of the tips at the end to help my children development healthy and lasting friendships.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
.
A cute and simple picture book that teaches young readers and listeners that we ALL have something of worth to offer in friendship. This little book also shows the importance of making and keeping friends. It reminds us to be our best selves.
As a parent I am also appreciative of the tips at the end to help my children development healthy and lasting friendships.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
.
May 12, 2016
Some really good friendships tips and points in here. I definitely have some students who find so many reasons/faults of their peers that they don't have friends or are struggling to make friends. I like that this book connects things you do, how you feel about yourself and how you act, to people around you wanting to be friends with you, or even wanting to be around you.
Definitely one I will use in my classroom!
Definitely one I will use in my classroom!
December 2, 2019
There are much better books on the topic of getting along with others. Why Brown? Kids use the color brown all the time. You know what color they don't use? White. A really poor oversight with subliminal ignorant messages associated with brownness.
May 13, 2020
Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book.
This would be a great book to share with students in younger elementary at the beginning of the year (or any time of year) to encourage them to see that differences in others as a positive thing. And also to know that they too have great things to share with others. I enjoyed this book and will purchase for my elementary library.
This would be a great book to share with students in younger elementary at the beginning of the year (or any time of year) to encourage them to see that differences in others as a positive thing. And also to know that they too have great things to share with others. I enjoyed this book and will purchase for my elementary library.
February 12, 2013
Brown is the tallest pencil in the box. This means he is the least used pencil in the box. And he doesn’t feel like he fits in very well with the others. ”I don’t have much to smile about. I am Brown, tall geeky and lonely…that’s me!” Brown envies Red, Blue, Orange, Yellow, Green, and Purple who color and play together. Blue gives hugs. Orange likes to have fun. Green is honest. White keeps the peace. Pink listens. And everyone loves Red. When Brown talks to Blue and Green, he learns that if wants good friends, he has to be a good friend. So he asks all the other pencils why they don’t like him and learns a lot of surprising things about himself. It is Black who points out that ”when all the colors are mixed together they make Brown.” He has all the colors inside him. Will he be able to use all the other colors to like himself, recognize his own strengths and be a better friend?
Why I like this book: Julia Cook has written a humorous fun and colorful book that all kids will identify with. What better way to teach kids about differences than through art. There are tall kids, short kids, popular kids, shy kids, happy kids and sad kids in every classroom. Differences add to the dynamics of the classroom. This book really focuses on helping children building interpersonal relationships with other children. Bridget Barnes’ illustrations are bright, lively and expressive. This title is the first in a new series of Julia Cook’s books focusing on relationship-building skills for children. It is perfect for the classroom.
Why I like this book: Julia Cook has written a humorous fun and colorful book that all kids will identify with. What better way to teach kids about differences than through art. There are tall kids, short kids, popular kids, shy kids, happy kids and sad kids in every classroom. Differences add to the dynamics of the classroom. This book really focuses on helping children building interpersonal relationships with other children. Bridget Barnes’ illustrations are bright, lively and expressive. This title is the first in a new series of Julia Cook’s books focusing on relationship-building skills for children. It is perfect for the classroom.
December 14, 2012
Taught my students a lesson on how being happy with who you are is the first step to making friends. Also now, students Complain less, smile more, are more trustworthy , And happier. This is a Cute fiction story where the colored tall odd pencil struggles to make friends.He feels left out, as no one likes to color with him. He also complains a lot, and puts others down. It is not Until he learns a lesson from a honest pencil friend that he adjusts his attitude, and makes friends. Blue pencil was very kind and students showed more kindness towards one another after I shared this book with them. I just wished the main character were not brown...
August 27, 2020
There is an art to making friendship and making friendships last. What better way to teach children with familiar colored crayons. Each color is special but one color is not feeling it. The color Brown wants to know how his box of colors can be friendly and what he has to do to be a friend. The message is be yourself and the color Brown realizes how special he is as well.
It is a great message for kiddos and parents to share together. The differences show how special each one is and commonalities bring it all together for this wonderful read.
A special thank you to Boys Town Press and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.
It is a great message for kiddos and parents to share together. The differences show how special each one is and commonalities bring it all together for this wonderful read.
A special thank you to Boys Town Press and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.
May 17, 2013
I love Julia Cook's stories as they are great resources to use with children. As a Child Psychologist I am often working with younger children who have difficulties making friends and/or who see themselves as not fitting in - being different. This is a lovely story that addresses both. There is lots to talk about with the children after you've finished the story, but as always there is a tips page for parents/teachers - they make great handouts for the session. I totally got Red being so popular and I loved Brown in the end.
June 26, 2014
The brown pencil is jealous of the other pencils because he feels underused. He asks the other pencils about how he can have more friends, and learns a different lesson about friendship from each of them, including trustworthiness and good listening. The book teaches about many ways to be a good friend, and also shows the importance of liking yourself. I think some of the concepts are a bit abstract, but could be made more concrete for children with well-used examples.
Topic: Color-identification, friendship, self-skills
Topic: Color-identification, friendship, self-skills
December 10, 2020
Nah.
This book is...not good. The art is amateurish, and the storyline is didactic and boring. And the choice of using Brown as the color that has no friends and hates to be his color and complains all the time and isn't brilliant and doesn't have much to smile about...Yikes. Just yikes. I guess by the end he likes being brown, so two stars? I don't know. I'm just so icked out by it all.
This book is...not good. The art is amateurish, and the storyline is didactic and boring. And the choice of using Brown as the color that has no friends and hates to be his color and complains all the time and isn't brilliant and doesn't have much to smile about...Yikes. Just yikes. I guess by the end he likes being brown, so two stars? I don't know. I'm just so icked out by it all.
September 20, 2015
A blandly moralistic book with minimal narrative power and second-rate poetry. Why children would want to read or listen to this is beyond me. Decidedly NOT recommended! Don't waste your or a child's time with this.
September 18, 2023
Making Friends Is an Art by Julia Cook is a children’s picture book that has the theme of friendship and kindness that is about the crayon Brown feeling left out from being used for coloring and being upset about not having any friends, due to his attitude towards the other crayons. The other crayons tell him that the solution to his problem is to change how he interacts with the other crayons and to become a better friend so he will be happier and have friends. This results in Brown accepting being his own color, and becoming a better crayon and friend with the other colors. A secondary reading that this picture book draws off of is Moebius’ code of color, not because of the story being about crayons, but because of the presence and lack of the color of brown in the picturebook. In the book the first thing we see other than the crayon being brown is a chair, which is showing that Brown as a dormant color that is only used for furniture and being casted aside alone. Then slowly throughout the book images start to have brown outlines and the major turning point being when Brown is illustrated with all colors. Once we see as the audience that Brown is all colors then every page basically has brown on it literally and figuratively. The final resolution of Brown making friends and figuring out that he belongs with all the colors is when he is rewarded with being used for coloring a grizzly bear.
Read
August 6, 2025In Making Friends Is an Art!, Julia Cook once again brings her signature warmth and insight to a topic that many children struggle with—how to make and keep friends. Through a creative and engaging story told from the perspective of a crayon, Cook helps children understand the qualities that make someone a good friend, and how those qualities can be developed in themselves.
The main character, Brown, feels overlooked and less special than the other colours in the crayon box. But as the story unfolds, Brown begins to realise that being a good friend isn’t about being flashy or popular—it’s about being kind, dependable, honest, and inclusive. Through simple yet powerful examples, children learn that things like sharing, listening, and showing appreciation are what truly make friendship meaningful.
Julia Cook’s storytelling is clear, relatable, and full of heart, making social-emotional learning approachable for young readers. Bridget Barnes’s cheerful and colourful illustrations perfectly match the theme, using the crayon box metaphor to bring abstract friendship qualities to life in a fun, visual way.
Ideal for children ages 5–10, this book is an excellent tool for parents, teachers, and counsellors. Whether used in a classroom discussion, social skills group, or bedtime reading, it helps children reflect on their own behavior and encourages positive relationship-building.
The main character, Brown, feels overlooked and less special than the other colours in the crayon box. But as the story unfolds, Brown begins to realise that being a good friend isn’t about being flashy or popular—it’s about being kind, dependable, honest, and inclusive. Through simple yet powerful examples, children learn that things like sharing, listening, and showing appreciation are what truly make friendship meaningful.
Julia Cook’s storytelling is clear, relatable, and full of heart, making social-emotional learning approachable for young readers. Bridget Barnes’s cheerful and colourful illustrations perfectly match the theme, using the crayon box metaphor to bring abstract friendship qualities to life in a fun, visual way.
Ideal for children ages 5–10, this book is an excellent tool for parents, teachers, and counsellors. Whether used in a classroom discussion, social skills group, or bedtime reading, it helps children reflect on their own behavior and encourages positive relationship-building.
February 6, 2020
I chose this story to read to my PreK class because my students have been going through this phase of being hateful to each other and then they get upset when no one wants to play with them. In this story, Making Friends is an Art! by Julia Cook, the color Brown is the least used crayon in the box. He’s tall and feels like he doesn’t fit in. Each crayon displays a positive friendship trait. Brown wishes he could be like the other crayons, but he complains a lot, hardly ever laughs, is disrespectful, and usually wears a frown. He asks each crayon for advice on how to make friends. He seeks advice from Light Green because Brown knows he will be honest. Light Green tells Brown, “To have good friends, you need to be a friend.” After talking to all of the crayons, Brown realizes he is a mixture of all the colors. He has everything inside of him that he needs to be a good friend. Once Brown embraces all of his good character traits he is able to make friends with the other colors. This book encourages my students to be a good friend and it also emphasizes on all the positive traits that they each have, so that we can discuss how no one likes to feel left out and how we can all work together to care for each other. We are all special and important. This book is a great read to promote friendship.
September 26, 2020
“Haven’t you noticed that when all of us are mixed together we make Brown? You are a combination of all the colors.”
Brown is hardly ever used and he resents it. That anger and frustration comes out in the way he treats the others and how he feels about himself. Consequently, Brown doesn’t have many friends. Finally, Brown reaches out for advice from some of the others from the box. “To have friends, you must be a friend,” says Light Green. Red tells Brown “You can’t expect the other colors to like you if you don’t like yourself.”
Good advice packaged in a nonthreatening format.
Brown is hardly ever used and he resents it. That anger and frustration comes out in the way he treats the others and how he feels about himself. Consequently, Brown doesn’t have many friends. Finally, Brown reaches out for advice from some of the others from the box. “To have friends, you must be a friend,” says Light Green. Red tells Brown “You can’t expect the other colors to like you if you don’t like yourself.”
Good advice packaged in a nonthreatening format.
October 20, 2017
I will begin by saying every book I have read by Julia Cook is a 5 Star Winner. The books impart important lessons for the socially socially oblivious child. My little boy is 6 and we read the book together. The book is not boring or preachy at all but it gets the point across. You have to be nice to other people if you want to be friends with them. You have to like yourself and there are all kinds of things about you to like.
Julia Cook is really really good at what she does.
Julia Cook is really really good at what she does.
September 17, 2019
Grade: K-4
Cute book about Brown, a colored pencil is rarely used and pretty salty about that. Because of this he is disrespectful to the others and they don't want to be his friend until someone brings about that realization. At that point Brown realizes he's not worthless and that he does have positive qualities and he's actually a combination of everyone. Last page of the book is pretty cute.
Focus: making friends, loving yourself first
Cute book about Brown, a colored pencil is rarely used and pretty salty about that. Because of this he is disrespectful to the others and they don't want to be his friend until someone brings about that realization. At that point Brown realizes he's not worthless and that he does have positive qualities and he's actually a combination of everyone. Last page of the book is pretty cute.
Focus: making friends, loving yourself first
March 25, 2017
I love this book. It follows the story of Brown, the tallest color in the box. It follows how brown is unpopular but it's because he is not a very good friend as opposed to no one likes him. Then he finds that he actually has a lot of good qualities for being unused. Good way to introduce kids to who might be suffering from low self-esteem to seeing a more bright side of life.
May 20, 2019
SEL book to read for making friends, and how sometimes your actions can make it difficult to be friends with others. The author, through crayons, helps friends find their strengths while teaching "Brown" what things he/she might be doing to turn people off to friendship. It would make a good beginning of the year read aloud.
October 7, 2019
Brown pencil doesn't know how to make friends and is unhappy with his life. He learns lessons from the other color pencils and listens to what they say. Elementary level readers can relate to the struggles and apply the lessons on friendship.
January 5, 2020
The story and message is great but I feel that the story should feature another color crayon rather than the brown one. Even when I have read the story to students they have pointed this out as well.
January 23, 2019
Lila read this to mommy and daddy on Jan 22, 2019
July 31, 2019
Growth mindset lesson book: great discussion starter!
April 14, 2021
This is a really good book about making friends and it is written so cleverly with all the crayons trying to make each other feel good.
Want to read
September 29, 2025E
May 16, 2020
Being a Kindergarten teacher, I can see this book being read every year within the first few weeks of school!
It not only talked about the 8 basic crayon colors... the story involved a few other colors too!
This book would be a great way to discuss how everyone is different and everyone won’t be the same, but it doesn’t mean you are not good if you can’t do something. Everyone has their own talents.....You’ll just have figure out what your talent(s) might be.
The book is also a great lead in to sometimes people tend to like/want something somebody else has. The grass is not always greener on the other side.
As a Kindergarten teacher, after reading this book, I wonder how many kiddos will try to glue their crayons together.... I’ll have to make sure they know that’s not the best way to solve that situation. 🤷🏼♀️😉
I like how the book tells the students that “You have every talent inside you that it takes to make a great friend.” I also like how at the end of the story, in the parent/teacher section, it gives directions how to possibly teach kids how to make new friends.
“You can help your children or students become better at making and keeping friends by teaching them three basic social skills:
• how to break the ice with kids I haven’t met before
• how to act positively with others
• how to manage conflict constructively
It then went in to more detail to help guide the adults “To teach these skills to a child, you must first figure out what that child is already doing right and then what the child needs to learn to do better”.
I loved how it then gave simple directions to model (young students do much better if you model what is expected of them) how to introduce oneself properly... this is a skill that kids need to be taught numerous times throughout the year and in many grades.
Few take aways from the book:
+Making a friend takes time
+Not everyone can do the same thing exactly the same
+We can learn from others
Thank you for the advanced copy of the book....I can’t wait to get a copy of this for our classroom!! ❤️
It not only talked about the 8 basic crayon colors... the story involved a few other colors too!
This book would be a great way to discuss how everyone is different and everyone won’t be the same, but it doesn’t mean you are not good if you can’t do something. Everyone has their own talents.....You’ll just have figure out what your talent(s) might be.
The book is also a great lead in to sometimes people tend to like/want something somebody else has. The grass is not always greener on the other side.
As a Kindergarten teacher, after reading this book, I wonder how many kiddos will try to glue their crayons together.... I’ll have to make sure they know that’s not the best way to solve that situation. 🤷🏼♀️😉
I like how the book tells the students that “You have every talent inside you that it takes to make a great friend.” I also like how at the end of the story, in the parent/teacher section, it gives directions how to possibly teach kids how to make new friends.
“You can help your children or students become better at making and keeping friends by teaching them three basic social skills:
• how to break the ice with kids I haven’t met before
• how to act positively with others
• how to manage conflict constructively
It then went in to more detail to help guide the adults “To teach these skills to a child, you must first figure out what that child is already doing right and then what the child needs to learn to do better”.
I loved how it then gave simple directions to model (young students do much better if you model what is expected of them) how to introduce oneself properly... this is a skill that kids need to be taught numerous times throughout the year and in many grades.
Few take aways from the book:
+Making a friend takes time
+Not everyone can do the same thing exactly the same
+We can learn from others
Thank you for the advanced copy of the book....I can’t wait to get a copy of this for our classroom!! ❤️
September 12, 2016
Each color in the crayon box has a really good personality trait like listening, or being fun, but Brown is jealous of the other colors because he is the least used. He learns that to have friends in the crayon box, he has to be a friend. With the advice, he's able to reach out and become apart of the crayon friend group.
This book is fun and needed because a lot of kids struggle with making friends. Each kid has a different reason for feeling left out, but they all feel the loneliness of it.
This book could be read every year through elementary to remind students to reach out to others and bring them into their friend group, or help the quiet ones to speak up and make their own friends.
This book is fun and needed because a lot of kids struggle with making friends. Each kid has a different reason for feeling left out, but they all feel the loneliness of it.
This book could be read every year through elementary to remind students to reach out to others and bring them into their friend group, or help the quiet ones to speak up and make their own friends.
June 10, 2020
Brown, a pencil in a pencil box, realizes he is the least used of all the colours. He hardly ever gets sharpened and is not asked to join in the fun when the others gather together to colour and play. This makes him feel rejected, ostracized and lonely. Why is he not accepted by the others?
He surveys all the pencils around him and discovers that they all have specific talents that they share with each other.
"Black looks out for everyone
Yellow always does what's right.
Purple has hopes and dreams,
And White won't let us fight."
"Dark Green is very trustworthy.
Pink listens to everyone.
Light Green is always honest.
And Orange likes to have fun."
The colours blend their gifts together resulting in a happy, friendly community. " Woke" Brown goes on a mission to find out what his friendship talent is so he too can contribute to the box thus bringing happiness to the others.
He goes from pencil to pencil asking their honest advice. Green tells him:
"Friendship is one of the most precious gifts there is Brown. To have good friends, you need to know how to be a good friend."
Will Brown discover how unique he is by being himself? This might enable him to reach out to others giving them smiles and helping them in their needs?
This heartwarming rhyming book teaches kids of all ages that friendships and getting along with others are very important life lessons to learn. This title is the first in the Building Relationships series. Wisely the author has included tips for parents, caregivers and teachers on how to help children who feel left out and are having trouble making friends. I recommend this book.
He surveys all the pencils around him and discovers that they all have specific talents that they share with each other.
"Black looks out for everyone
Yellow always does what's right.
Purple has hopes and dreams,
And White won't let us fight."
"Dark Green is very trustworthy.
Pink listens to everyone.
Light Green is always honest.
And Orange likes to have fun."
The colours blend their gifts together resulting in a happy, friendly community. " Woke" Brown goes on a mission to find out what his friendship talent is so he too can contribute to the box thus bringing happiness to the others.
He goes from pencil to pencil asking their honest advice. Green tells him:
"Friendship is one of the most precious gifts there is Brown. To have good friends, you need to know how to be a good friend."
Will Brown discover how unique he is by being himself? This might enable him to reach out to others giving them smiles and helping them in their needs?
This heartwarming rhyming book teaches kids of all ages that friendships and getting along with others are very important life lessons to learn. This title is the first in the Building Relationships series. Wisely the author has included tips for parents, caregivers and teachers on how to help children who feel left out and are having trouble making friends. I recommend this book.
July 18, 2020
In a world that encourages conformity, finding your unicity can be an art. This book teaches children just that. How to find your talent and set yourself apart from others, while also being friends with them. The brown pencil is trying to find what his talent is, so he goes from one colour to the other, asking them about it. They all praise him one way or another, but figuring out what makes him special is for Brown to find out. In the end, he discovers that just being yourself is enough.
At the end of the book, there are also tips for parents on teaching kids basic social skills.
Thank you to Net Galley and Boys Town Press for providing me with an e-book copy in exchange for my honest review!
At the end of the book, there are also tips for parents on teaching kids basic social skills.
Thank you to Net Galley and Boys Town Press for providing me with an e-book copy in exchange for my honest review!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews