The Friendship Book: A Charming Poetry Book about Frienship for Kids

by Mary Lyn Ray, Stephanie Graegin (Illustrator)

With charming art and poetry, this honest primer on friendship, and companion to The Thank You Book , captures the many ways friendships are formed and what it means to be a friend.  Perfect for fans of I Like You and A Friend Is Someone Who Likes You .
 
Sometimes being friends begins all at once
And sometimes it takes a while to get acquainted
But then, as some small knowing grows,
You start feeling that feeling
That comes with having a friend—
 
Exploring the many shapes friendships take and how being a friend can be a gift in itself, this thoughtful and authentic primer on friendship invites readers to celebrate the wonders of companionship.

Genres: Picture Books, Friendship, Childrens, Animals

32 pages, Hardcover

Published December 17, 2019

About the author

Mary Lyn Ray is a conservationist and author of several picture books for children. She was born in Louisiana in 1946 and grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas. Ray has lived in New England since 1964, when she first came east to attend college. She currently lives in a 150-year-old farmhouse in South Danbury, New Hampshire, which she restored herself.

Reviews

[Kathryn]

I liked this one more than The Thank You Book, though it still felt like it was trying a bit too hard to channel Joan Walsh Anglund. Still, it's sweet and the illustrations are darling.

[La Coccinelle]

From the outset, this seems like a sweet little book about friendship. And it is in some ways. But it really didn't work for me in others.

Much of the book is just explaining--in free verse--what friendship is. How we become friends. What we do in a friendship. And that's all fine. But the book lost me when it started talking about how rocks and hills can be our friends. That's the last thing a lonely kid wants to hear. Friendship requires give and take, and a certain amount of interaction. Can you interact with a rock? Technically, yes, but not in the way most lonely people are craving. A rock can't talk. Just because sitting quietly and being there for another person can be a feature of human friendship doesn't mean that an inanimate object can be a friend.

The pictures kind of took me aback, too. There's this weird mix of humans and anthropomorphized animals, sometimes interacting with each other, sometimes just parallel to each other. It gives the book a bit of a surreal feel. I don't know if I really like it. (I don't mind anthropomorphized animals... but when they're mixed up with humans, it starts to fall apart a bit for me.) The illustration style itself is lovely, full of soft colours and cute critters. It's more the subject matter that's giving me pause.

Overall, I didn't love this. But I can see it finding an audience.

[Deb]

Simple and sweet.

[Anna]

This book has SUCH adorable illustrations! It's the main reason why I picked this book up! It was odd to see animals in clothes mixed with humans and all of them going to school, but the message is quite simple and lovely. The book is about what a friend is, how friends come and go, different kinds of friends, and how they can make you feel and help you when you're feeling down. I would have loved this book if the illustrations just stuck to one group: humans or animals in clothing. I understand that it's to symbolize friends are all different and you can be friends with anyone, but for some reason, it just creeped me out to see animals in clothes going to school with humans as if they were humans too.

[Sarah Threlkeld]

If you are looking for a precious story about friendship, this is for you! The author does a beautiful job of defining friendship, describing activities friends may enjoy together, and pointing out that friends don't always have to be alike. Friends may even be pets or places in nature that soothe one's soul. The pencil and watercolor illustrations of humans and animals are ridiculously charming and match the tone of the narrative perfectly. This small picture book could be used as a class read aloud to spark conversations and activities about friendship, as well as enjoyed independently.

[Carolyn]

A charming poetic book with animals and children forming a friendship with each other. All shapes, sizes, and colors of animals and children in softly colored pencils and watercolors bring tenderness to explaining what and who a friend is. Each page talks about what a friend is or what friends go through together. It is an easy to read book that gives a child confidence that they will one day be a friend and will enjoy having friends.

[Laura]

I know some folks didn't understand the inclusion of rocks and trees as friends, but those of us who have spaces/things that offer the comfort of friendship would definitely connect with that concept (Teddy Bear). I always though thought of my childhood apple tree as one of my best friends!
I thought that piece was amazing and captured friendship in its many forms. Yes, sweet and perfect. Love the illustrations too!

[Kaylee Klaassen]

Genre: Modern Fantasy
Grade Range: Pre K - 3rd

This is a very cute book! I would absolutely love to read this story at the beginning of the year in my classroom, to help my students understand how friendships work and to help them understand that anyone can be their friend. It would set a good atmosphere in the classroom and between students. I love that many different types of friendships were described in this book!

[Jennifer]

The text is just free verse explaining what friendship is and how people become friends. There's no real story, but that's okay. What tripped me up is that in a few spreads there's anthropomorphized animals interacting with humans as if they are friends - and not just in the "I love my pet" kind of way, but actually telling each other jokes and laughing together. Weird.

Other than that, it's a decent, but not outstanding, addition to a story time on friendship.

[Mary]

Soft illustrations accompany this collection of thoughts about friendship. While most of the observations on friendship ring true, the mixture of animal, human, and inanimate objects as friends is confusing and unrealistic.
When you are wishing for a friend a tree or a rock you like to sit on can fill that need? Um, no.

[Kelly]

You know, after Julie Morstad, Stephanie Graegin is definitely up there for one of my favorite illustrators. I just like really cute things. I wish there was more diversity in the book than just black children. It's a sweet little story though, and I like the line, " Anyone might be a friend - you just don't know yet." It gives hope.

[Chloe Smith]

Genre: poetry
Grade Level: K - 2nd
This book is such a great book that would be good for the beginning of the year and how do we treat our friends and classmates in a classroom. It also has a Valentines day kind of vibe that would also be a good reminder of how do we treat our friends especially coming back from Christmas break and ending the year strong in treating others well.

[Aeicha]

This little book is full of big heart! The Friendship Book is a tender and heartfelt celebration of friendship. Little readers will be charmed by the lyrical poetry and delighted by the sweet, engaging illustrations.

[Holly]

A sweet book that helps explain what friendships are like and how to be a friend- even when you don’t have a friend… yet. Multicultural and multigenerational illustrations and some that just include animals.

[Carolyn Mayo]

I absolutely adore this book! It introduces and illustrates what friendship is so well. This would be a wonderful book to read for a child just beginning school. Mary Lyn Ray captures well the sweetness of friendship and how it is formed. I highly recommend this book!

[Isabelle]

Grades: PreK-2
Genre: Poetry
I think that this book is a must-read for the beginning of the year in elementary classrooms. It does a good job of exploring how friendships are created and why they are important.

[Faith Davis]

PreK-2nd
Children's Fiction
This book helps students understand what friendship means and how to be a good friend. I feel like students would love this book, and it could be super beneficial for them. This shows many ways friendships can grow and change.

[Edward Sullivan]

A charming celebration of friendship.

[Brittany Cavness]

I love everything about this book. What an amazing lesson!

[Ruth]

This was so stinking cute

[Nessa]

I love theses illustrations! Cute story about friendship and what it means to be a friend.

[Lisa D]

Loved it! What a great sequel to the thank you book! Great book about friendship!

[Robin]

Sweet and charming, a cozy conversation starter about friendship. Highly recommended for ages 4-7.

[Veronica Manthei]

So sweet, and the illustrations are deliciously subtle.

[Kelly]

Wonderful book, and written beautifully for children!

[Zan Porter]

Illustrations and easy-to-read text provide a primer on friendship, including the many ways friendships are formed.

[Jennifer]

This is just a lovely ode to friendship.

[Jessica]

Sweet, almost nostalgic, illustrations and lovely message. A nice representation of children of many colors. Would have been nice to see some disabilities represented, but other than that, lovely.

[Ammie]

Just finished this and bought two copies. One for us and one as a gift. There is a certain 10 year old girl that J is dying to gift this to.

[Danette]

7/13/21 Julia read to Andres and me.